Avengers 2 Point 0
by CatherineJosephineMarie007
Summary: A sequel to the film in fanfic form, takes place eight months after the Loki fiasco. The team faces an enemy who can bend the very fabric of time- you know him as that guy from the last three minutes of the movie. Shiny new OFC, eventual romance. T for swearing, and eventual fooling around. Cameos from some more of the Marvel gang!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone—so I'm jumping on the Avengers fanfiction bandwagon, because I saw the movie three times. IT WAS AMAZING. I'm fully planning on being busy with super hero films until 2015—Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Captain America 2, Green Lantern 2, hopefully an Avengers 2! **

**This takes place 8 months after 'Avengers', told from the first person POV of my shiny new OC Catharine. **

**Enjoy and review!**

Nick Fury scared the crap out of me.

I know that sounds stupid—he is deadly, but he's just a man. It's not like he's a super hero… or a super villain, for that matter, but the man unnerved me. It would be politically incorrect to say it was the eye patch, but it was mostly the eye patch.

But even though I always wanted to run as far away from him and S.H.I.E.L.D as possible, I knew to come when he called. His retrieving dogs wore suits, and while my own abilities were fairly impressive, I couldn't hope to take down a normal human man twice my size.

So when he did call, I got on a plane and flew to Dulles. At the arrivals gate I was met by Agent Coulson.

"Miss Krueger," he greeted me, any expression in his eyes hidden by dark sunglasses. I never felt much emotion coming from him—he was always so calm and collected, I almost felt like a normal person when we were together.

"Agent," I replied, following him without prompt through the airport and into the jet that sat waiting for us. It was sleek and dark grey, clearly military issue, and had some kind of adjustable thruster on the back. We passed underneath it to get into the body of the aircraft.

"Buckle in please, we won't be long." He said. I knew by now not to ask where we were going—S.H.I.E.L.D was one of the most secret factions of any government anywhere, and even if Coulson could tell me, I'm not sure he would.

After a smooth flight of about an hour and a half, we began our descent. We stood up as the back of the plane pulled down and we emerged into the middle of a field. The only thing for miles was a two-story glass building, normal looking, with two agents in black suits guarding the door.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Upstate New York." Coulson replied.

"And, what is this?" I continued to question as he led me inside.

"This is the new S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters."

I raised my eyebrows and looked over at Coulson, while we watched agents in S.H.I.E.L.D uniforms bustle about.

Coulson led me down the hallway directly in front of us, past a few unmarked doors, and then the corridor opened up into an enormous control room, with a large bank of windows overlooking the other side of the field.

Nick Fury stood at his perch, watching over all the computer banks before him. Agent Maria Hill stood at his right, speaking quietly. She noticed the two of us and motioned to Fury.

The director turned. "Ah, Miss Krueger. Please take a seat." He gestured to the large steel table behind him. "The rest of our guests will be arriving soon."

"And who are these guests?" I asked.

"The Avengers." He replied shortly. With a surprised nod, I walked away, beginning to pace around the table. Eventually I got tired and sat, but after no more than ten minutes voices approached.

I stood, unable to keep the smile from my face, as Natasha Romanoff entered the room.

"Catharine," Black Widow smiled at me and charged over to give me a hug. I know we're two badass secret agents, but we can be girly too. "It's good to see you again."

"It has been a long while, but I am glad S.H.I.E.L.D hasn't been in need of my services for some time. Always a relief when I don't have to leave Israel—the flight out is a son of a bitch."

"Israel?" One of the men behind Natasha asked. I looked over her shoulder and recognised Captain Steven Rogers.

"Yes, Captain Rogers," I answered. "Israel is a country next to Jordan which was created after World War Two as a homeland for Jews. Israelis and Palestinians have been in conflict over land rights ever since. You would have been a soldier-sicle for more than five years when it was established." Hearing a metallic chuckle, I looked back to the door. Iron Man was leaving his suit, having apparently flown from NYC. He was giggling inside his helmet. The redhead with him rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry, have we met?" Captain America asked.

"No," I replied. "But your discovery was a big deal with S.H.I.E.L.D agents the world over—there was a memo and everything." I winked at Tony Stark as he gave another chortle. His girlfriend slapped him in the arm and gave him a glare.

"But you are… French?" Rogers asked.

"Yes." I nodded. "My… skills allow me to work for whomever I choose, regardless of nationalistic loyalty."

"Gentlemen, this is Catharine Krueger, also known in our organisation as Demeter." Fury interrupted from his seat. "Thank you for joining us, Miss Krueger."

"Of course Director," I smiled sweetly. "I'm surprised I wasn't called in sooner, to be honest."

"Why?" Stark asked. Apparently his amusement with me had ebbed and now he wanted to know what the hell I was doing there.

"I also have a… unique skill set." I replied.

"Please do not be coy, Miss Krueger," Fury said tiredly. I sensed his frustration with my loyalty to the phrase 'top secret'. "You aren't in Mossad now."

"Mossad?" Stark asked, giving an impressed whistle. "High score for badass-ness."

Thor had entered during Tony's whistle, and looked confused.

"What is this Mossad of which you speak, son of Howard?" he asked.

"Mossad is super top secret, lots of spies and karate kids. They're the Israeli version of the secret service."

"Thank you Mr Stark." I replied. "All right, full disclosure. I'm code named Demeter because of my abilities as an empath. Demeter was the only Greek god who was able to empathise with the human condition, since she had lived among them. I work for Mossad as an interrogator."

"You mean a torturer." I looked around to see Dr Banner looking at me strangely from next to Captain Rogers. He must have snuck up when I wasn't looking. I could sense that he was afraid, confused and just the tiniest bit angry—then again I suspected he was angry most of the time.

"On occasion, Dr Banner. Sometimes asking nicely simply does not get the job done. I also do freelance work for S.H.I.E.L.D, as both an interrogator and a hostage negotiator. Those are my more…enterprising skills."

"You possess more skills than those that you have mentioned?" Thor asked me.

Grinning like the cat that ate the canary, I stood directly across the table form him, concentrated, and held out my hand.

Thor smirked. "I assure you, mortal, whatever talents you possess will not work on a citizen of As—"he broke off as his ever-present hammer broke from his belt and flew to my hand.

Stark gasped in delight. "Oh, THAT'S cool."

"As you can see, I possess the ability of power mimicry. It is a side effect of the empath abilities. How can one empathise and understand another's emotions if one does not understand their reality?" Dr Banner was staring at me again, this time with a healthy dose of fear and guilt. I could tell he wondered about whether I'd experienced his reality. Passing Thor back his hammer, I sat primly in my chair and looked at Fury. "Now that we're through with show and tell, perhaps we could get down to business."

"The Avengers mission two," Barton muttered from the other side of Natasha, and I grinned at him. It was clear from the emotions I could glean from him that not only was he pretty psyched about this Avengers thing, but that he and Natasha had been looking forward to it for some time. Yeah, he and Natasha were definitely having sex now, as far as I could tell.

"Not just yet, we're still waiting for a few people." Maria Hill said from Fury's right. We sat in silence for a few moments before Stark cleared his throat and said innocently, "So what's everyone been up to?"

Thor, Banner and I laughed quietly, but before anyone could give him any answer at all, I sensed a few people approaching the room. Nervousness was the prime emotion, as was eagerness and a bit of passion. I suspected it came from only one of the three individuals. A few seconds later two women and a man entered. I recognised the man, Dr Eric Selvig; we'd met in the past. The women were strangers, but from the way the older one looked at Thor, I could guess who she was.

The demigod stood too quickly, making his chair fall over in the process. Dr Foster ran to him and he locked her in an embrace, lifting her off the ground. The younger girl that had accompanied Foster and Selvig sighed at the romance of it all.

"All of you will remember Dr Selvig," Fury nodded to the scientist. "And this is Dr Jane Foster and Miss Darcy Lewis." Introductions were made again, this time with less of a focus on me, which I was thankful for. Once we'd all sat down, it looked like a quadruple date that Rogers, Banner, Eric, Darcy and I had barged in on. Oh yeah, hadn't I mentioned? I was getting serious couples vibes from Fury and Hill too. THAT creeped me out. But hey, who was I to judge?

"Now, just over eight months ago we defeated Loki in his plans for world domination with an alien armada," Fury began, handing out files. "Some of you were involved in that mission, many of you were not. However, just because we put a stop to Loki's schemes does not mean that we foiled every alien race in the galaxy. It seems that there is another bent on our destruction."

"Ugh, again?" Stark grumbled sarcastically, opening his file. From beside him Banner snickered.

"I have been away from Earth for some time," Thor began, placing one hand on top of Jane's. "At first I was unable to return, then when an alternative to the bifrost was presented itself in an abundance of dark energy, I was forced to use it to reign in my brother. While the Chitauri have come to believe that to try to rule you Earthlings is a death sentence, another, called Thanos, disagrees."

"Thanos?" Romanoff asked.

"He is of the Titan Eternals, though he possesses a physical similarity to another race, the Deviants. While they are cousin races, the Deviants and the Titan Eternals are forever at war."

"And he's interested in outsourcing?" Stark asked.

"The Deviants believe their god, the Dreaming Celestial, granted them power over Earth, and that the other Celestials, like the Titans and the Asgards, took this divine right from them. Thanos has been mounting an army recently, and means to attack Earth."

"Fantastic," I sighed. "Based on myth, these Deviants are usually heinously ugly, are they not? Shouldn't be too hard to spot him."

"Indeed they are very ugly," Thor replied. "Although spotting him will be the least of our worries. He does not wish to live among us—the first time we see him it will be as he commands an army against us."

"So how do we stop him?" Barton asked.

"We have reason to believe he will use a number of mortals as pawns, a sort of advanced guard. Should we need the help of my army on Asgard, they as well as the Titan Eternals have sworn to help protect Earth. My father, Odin, is collaborating the troops as we speak."

"I'm sorry, are we going to Asgard?" Rogers asked. I knew that all the technology we'd developed while he was asleep unnerved him, and he felt dread at the prospect of space travel.

"Perhaps," Thor replied, and I felt the tension and the excitement rise in the room.

"Can't the Godlike simply stop them?" Jane spoke for the first time. "They rule above us all, they're more powerful than your father even—can't they simply prevent the Deviants from doing as they please?"

"I wish they would." Thor said. "I do hope we will be able to convince them that interference is best for all involved."

"We can convince them together." Rogers said with certainty. Thor grinned.

"I am glad you see this as a mission, Son of Rogers. Do you all share the Captain's conviction?"

"I don't know about conviction," Barton said, "But I sure as hell want to knock these Deviants into the middle of next week."

"Seconded," Banner and I said at the same time. I smirked.

"I believe the idiom is you owe me a soda?" I asked.

"How are we going to get to Asgard?" Fury asked. "We do not possess space travel technology of that magnitude, and it would take a lot of those little portals you use to get in and out of Earth to get us all there."

"I have a solution," Thor said confidently. "Some of my father's best scientists, as you call them, have volunteered to help you rebuild your ship and equip it to transport us all to Asgard. Now that the Tesseract is contained on my planet, it may be used sparingly as a resource for such means of transportation."

"Seems like you've thought of everything," Maria commented. I could sense her skepticism, but I knew she also had faith in the Avengers.

"Even so, using the Tesseract for anything could be dangerous." Banner interjected.

"Bring your people here, Thor," Eric reassured, standing up. "Between them, Banner, Stark and I, surely something can be done."


	2. Chapter 2

**So, in case you didn't realise, I decided that Coulson lives. They were faking everyone out so that they'd work as a team. I love Clark Gregg, so he couldn't die on me. Also, Ullr, Freya and Kvasir are actual Vanirians from Asgard, according to Norse/Thor cannon. I however have no idea how or if they were characterised, so I just did it my way.**

Ullr, Kvasir and Freya arrived the next day by portal. They were apparently of Vanir, a sister race to the Asgardians. Selvig brought them to the secret base, where the ruins of the Hellicarrier had been stored in an underground chamber for repair following Loki's escape.

The rest of the Avengers and their associates (meaning Pepper and Darcy), as well as the high-ranking agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, converged on the base permanently for moral support and a LOT of meetings discussing strategy, training and the possibility that we may need to evacuate to another planet, if such a thing could be done.

Dr Banner and I hadn't really spoken since that first day—I knew I made him nervous, and I personally didn't know what would happen if I tried to mimic his powers. However, Tony Stark and I, as the resident pessimists, became fast friends. I spent a lot of time in his lab, which was connected to Banner's by a glass wall and a door. Jane's was on the other side, and I found myself making more female friends in a day than I could ever remember having in my whole life. One day about a week after we got to the base, Stark caught me watching Banner through the glass.

"You're staring at him." He observed in a bored voice, but I could tell he was entertained. "May I assume you have a bit of a crush on our good physicist?"

"No you may not," I replied, turning away. "He's just interesting to watch."

"He's reading." Tony told me, as if I couldn't tell.

"It's not what he's doing, it's how he feels as he's doing it."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about your empathy thing."

"Empath. And I can't help but watch when I feel radiating anger, but I see peaceful, quiet research."

"Yeah, he said the trick to controlling the Other Guy was to always be angry."

"The Other Guy?" I asked in amusement. "That's what he calls the—" I gestured to a height far above mine with one hand. Tony nodded. "I suppose it's better than 'The Hulk'. Nicer connotation, given who Dr Banner is when he's himself."

"I guess," Tony shrugged. "After Loki he stayed at Stark Tower, helping Pepper and I rebuild. He really is brilliant, and the Other Guy can hold his tequila like MAD."

I laughed. "You spent time with the Other Guy?"

"After the fight in New York he got a little more confident about letting us around him while he was transformed. I had to be in the suit, that was his stipulation, but we had some good times in the steel-enforced room in the basement."

"I think it's nice you have each other." I said.

"I don't have to be an empath to know you are feeling…" he held one hand over his forehead like a carnival fortune teller, "envious."

"I am envious." I nodded. "You are unique, just like Fury says. And although you frequently go your own ways once the danger is over, you can still know you'll… be there for each other."

"Yeah yeah, it's nice and we're all family," Stark rolled his eyes at me, but I could tell he did have a sentimental attachment to them all. "You wanna get out of here so I can work?"

"Mais oui," I mock bowed and left the lab, only to be caught by Jane.

"Catharine!" she called from next to Banner's office. "Come in here!"

Bracing myself for any emotions Banner might be radiating, I entered the lab and looked over the astrophysicists' shoulder. She was looking at images of the Vanirians' arrival, trying to figure out how the portal worked.

"Huh," I said, tilting my head as I regarded the satellite photos. "Interesting. And you said you met Thor for the first time in a twister?"

"It was a dirt storm, and she hit him with a car," Darcy supplied cheerfully, walking into Banner's lab with a dozen or so McDonald's bags.

"I grazed him with a car." Jane defended haughtily, and I felt her slight guilt.

"It's not like you hurt him," I consoled.

"Here doc," Darcy said, tossing a bag across the room. I didn't think anyone but me had taken notice of Banner behind a couple huge books and a monitor, but he caught the bag with one hand.

"Thanks Darcy," he said. His quiet voice and unsure disposition never failed to be a surprise to me, given what I sensed when he was near.

Darcy continued to pass out food, and Avengers converged on the lab, dragging chairs and research and Vanirians around one of the large tables in the middle of the room.

"Thought I smelled Big Macs." Tony said happily, stealing a bag from Pepper and inhaling. "Ahh, calories and bad decisions."

"Nobody's forcing you," Banner teased, taking the bag from his friend. I always sensed a greater sense of calm from him when he was with Stark and Pepper, probably because of all the time they'd spent together. "The Big Guy could eat another one."

"Oh no," Tony took his bag back and hopped up onto a counter. "I'm not complaining." He tossed a burger to Rogers, who grinned. He'd already been introduced to the wonders of fast food by me and Barton, who shared a mutual love for Harvey's.

Thor and the Vanirians had a million questions about what they were consuming, and soon all the computers in the room were being used for the purpose of youtubing commercials from every fast food corporation we could think of for visual aids.

Soon everyone went back to work and the lab was quiet again. Sighing as Jane became unresponsive as she lost herself in her work, I slid off my wheelie chair and headed down the hall to my own office.

"Miss Krueger," I heard Dr Banner call as he caught up to me.

"Catharine," I smiled, trying to ease the nerves I knew he was having.

"Bruce." He replied. "I was… well, I wanted to know whether you'd tried to… Hulk-out, as Stark puts it."

I laughed. "No, I haven't. I thought perhaps we should talk before I did that."

"You didn't talk to Thor."

"All I did was take his hammer. His powers have nothing to do with his state of being; it was a parlour trick. But I know you fear what I might experience as a 'hulk', though I don't know why— you wouldn't be responsible for me, no more than you are responsible for anything you do as the Other Guy."

"Once you know what it's like…" he hesitated, then seemed to decide it was best to be perfectly honest. "I do wonder how your experience will affect how you look at me."

"It will not change, Doctor." I assured him. "You didn't ask for this, and I cannot judge you for an accident. Besides, I heard you saved a young man's life when you absorbed all that radiation? You may not believe it, Bruce, but you were a hero for that."

"Hero," he scoffed, and I felt intense hatred. "I broke Harlem, you know."

"I heard," I smiled. "But I was in Israel at the time, and we have our own problems. As far as I am concerned, you made up for any damage you might have done to Harlem by defeating Loki's army. I think they have forgiven you. Besides, Harlem could stand to be broken." We were both quiet for a moment before I asked quietly, "Would you like to be there when I try to… 'Hulk out'?"

"I thought I had to be." He answered.

"Not necessarily. It'll be quicker if you are, but I can summon up the emotions I feel from you even if you aren't in the room. It is like a type of meditation."

"I would like to be there— I think Thor and I are the only ones who could stop you from doing something dangerous."

"I've thought of that," I smiled. "Tony, come in." I said, tapping my earpiece. When Iron Man replied I asked, "Get that camera online. Come on." I said to Bruce. I led him to the elevator then down to the underground bunker where the hellicarrier was being worked on. "Freya!" I called to the Vanirian woman. She was ridiculously beautiful, and although I've never been embarrassed of my slightly curvy body, dark hair and light brown eyes, next to her I felt short, fat and frumpy.

"Catharine," the woman smiled, gliding over to us. Her blonde hair nearly trailed the floor, and it wafted behind her as though she was followed around by a fan. "What you requested has been done."

"Wonderful," I grinned. "Do you mind if I showed Dr Banner now?"

"Not at all."

We boarded the ship, which was now being called Midgaard, and made our way toward the brig. Freya and Eric had recreated the massive glass cage meant for Bruce but used for Loki. I opened the door and gestured for him to follow me inside.

"If it can hold a demigod it can hold two of us," I reasoned, sensing his hesitance. Nodding thoughtfully, he walked inside and the door slid shut behind us. "Tony has got the footage from the cameras in his lab," I explained. "He'll be monitoring us."

"Have fu-un," Tony's voice came over the ship's PA, and we both smiled.

"All right, I think the best thing to do is for you to explain to me how you feel when the Other Guy breaks through the surface. Not just emotions, but how it feels physically as well." I sat cross legged on the floor and looked up at him.

Bruce was quiet for a long time, just staring into my eyes, and eventually he began to speak quietly. "Mostly I just feel fear- I always hate to let him out because, like you said, I'm not responsible for myself. Usually by the time my body starts to change my mind has ceased its protests, so I don't feel all the pain. But when I shrink back down, I usually pass out, because I'm tired and my entire body is in agony. My body stretches to three times its size, and my muscles ache for days afterward."

"And to be the Other Guy? Are you still in there somewhere?" I asked quietly.

"It's like I'm in the back of his mind. He can talk, but doesn't very often. Rogers said in New York I smiled. Usually I don't remember everything."

"Okay," I nodded. "Turn around." When Bruce raised a brow, I popped a couple of buttons on my shirt. "I'm rather attached to this shirt." I replied. Once I was just in bra and panties, I closed my eyes. I focussed on his anger, letting what I felt course through me, consuming me. After a few moments I began to feel like my brain wasn't in control of my body as I stood up. Then I began to feel the fear. I thought of the video I'd seen of the Hulk in action, and willed my body to comply. Soon I felt an intense pain as I got taller and broader. My voice cried out, but it was much lower than normal, nearly a growl. Bruce was stuttering in front of me in shock. When I opened my eyes he was no longer a head taller than me, but several feet shorter. Obviously I wasn't as big as him when he was the Other Guy, but I assumed that had to do with my own physiology.

"Wow." Bruce breathed. Experimentally I struck the sides of the great cage, making it shake and rattle but nothing came loose. Feeling an uncontrollable anger at my inability to break it, I hit it again, harder. Nothing happened. Letting out a great roar, I fell back. Eventually the beastly roar became a human moan, and I collapsed on the ground.

"Holy shit," I heard Tony's voice say over the intercom before I passed out.


	3. Chapter 3

When I awoke, Bruce, Fury and Tony were at my bedside. I had no idea how I got into a bed, how I'd become dressed again or how long I'd been unconscious.

"Hi," I said quietly, my voice hoarse. I cleared my throat and it got better. "How did it go?"

"Well you did it." Bruce replied.

"Yeah," I nodded. "Cage held up."

"Thanks to Freya and a huge amount of luck." My senses were dulled by pain and the need to sleep, but I could tell Fury was not pleased.

"I knew it would," I shrugged.

"Nevertheless, Miss Krueger, you cannot just experiment with Dr Banner whenever you like."

"He was the biggest challenge," I replied. "I wanted an insider's perspective, and Dr Banner was nice enough to oblige me."

"Don't do it again." Fury warned, turning and swooping out of the medical bay. Bruce and I stared at each other for a moment before Stark cleared his throat.

"I think I'll leave you two to… debrief." He scurried out after Fury.

"So, what did you think of him?" I asked.

"What?"

"I assume this is the first time you've really seen him up close. The Big Guy doesn't seem the type to waste a lot of time with mirrors."

"Not unless it involves breaking them," he answered wryly. "It was unnerving, to see someone else as me…"

"That is not you, Bruce. Like you said, you're in the back of mind and he's in the back of yours."

"What did you think of it?" he asked nervously.

"It was… unreal. It did hurt, like you said, but the power and strength and confidence I felt, like nobody could stop me if I decided to do… anything. It was terrifying. I don't like to court power, Bruce, it's never appealed to me. I'm French, we're much more laissez-faire."

"So you didn't like it." He concluded.

"No, I did, which is why I don't think I'll be doing it again recreationally." I looked at him for a while longer before asking, "What did he think? The Other Guy?"

"He was jealous I think. He wanted me to turn so you and I could spar." I laughed, and he relaxed marginally. "I… it made him see you as less of a puny human, I think."

"Oh yes?" I asked, interested. "So does it make him easier to control around an equal, instead of Thor, who could be construed as a threat?"

"It's different." He conceded. "You should rest—it'll hurt for a while yet."

"Of course. Will you- will you come back later?" I was suddenly nervous, and I had no idea why I was asking such a thing.

"I'll probably work a while longer. When you wake up, why don't you come find me?" he said with a kind smile. I nodded, laying back down. I think I was asleep before he even left the room.

When I woke a few hours later, the clock read quarter to eleven. I was alone in the infirmary and most of the lights were turned off. I slid to my feet carefully, finding my shoes tucked neatly beneath the chair at my bedside.

I caught a look at myself in the mirrored front of a medicine cabinet and cringed. I'd had my hair in its usual curly ponytail, but now my bangs were askew and my ponytail was loose. I pulled it out and shook my head, then retied my ponytail and sighed. That was as good as it was going to get until I could get back to my room.

Strangely enough, I wanted to check on Bruce before I went to change—to make sure he wasn't wallowing in self pity, I suppose. Tony had let slip the physicists' propensity for it. I pulled on my trouser bottoms, hoping to straighten them out, and left the infirmary.

I didn't run into anyone until I got closer to the middle of the base. There were a few lab assistants wandering around Bruce's lab when I walked in, trying to make as little noise as possible.

"Catharine," Bruce gave me his most guarded smile when he saw me.

"Hi," I replied.

"How're you feeling?"

"Fine. Sore, but fine. How are you? Not feeling badly still are we?"

"A bit," he admitted. "But I'm glad to see you're okay."

"Me too. Anything I can do to help?"

"Oh, no, don't worry about it. I think everything is under control."

"You're sure?" I asked. "Because if I can be of assistance and help you get a few hours' sleep tonight, tell me now."

"I'll sleep, I promise." He smiled.

"Yeah, yeah yeah. I'm going to get cleaned up. When I'm done I'll come check on you, but I better fine this lab dark, Dr Banner."

"No promises," he replied. I laughed and left the lab, heading to my room for a well-deserved shower. Honestly, it was no wonder Bruce was so tired all the time, I felt horrible.

I spent a fair amount of time washing my Hulk experience off me— the big guy sweated A LOT, and I'd been asleep for most of the day which made me feel gross. When I got out of the shower, my eyes felt heavy and even the task of staying open seemed too painful. I pulled on a pair of grey sweatpants and my black S.H.I.E.L.D t-shirt and brushed my teeth (again, slept all day— ew.)

When I went back to the lab, the lab assistants were gone and Bruce was standing at his computer with his back to me.

"Hi," I said, making my way over to him. It was only when I drew level that I realised he'd fallen asleep, on a stool, staring at a website on Titan Eternal history. With a little smile, I jostled his shoulder. "Bruce, wake up," I said sweetly, running my hand down his back.

"Wha—" he said, looking up at me adorably sleep rumpled. "Oh, hey," he said. "What's up?"

"You were asleep," I informed him, barely holding in my laughter. "Come on, Doctor, I think it is time we both go to bed, yes?"

"Yes," he nodded, sliding off the stool and following me in the direction of the sleeping quarters.

The next morning, I was eating breakfast with Natasha when the emergency alarm went off.

"PROXIMITY ALERT. PROXIMITY ALERT." A rough techno-voice said over and over. With one look at my friend, we were up and heading in tandem for the door.

"What the hell's going on?" Fury was demanding when we entered. Steve was in his sweats on the other side of the room, obviously having left mid-work out.

"There's someone in the field on the east side, sir," Maria said, tapping into the external security cameras. "Seems to be human, definitely not Thanos."

"Well, it would be too much to ask that he come down here without any fanfare to fight us like a man." Tony said as he walked in, entering his opinion without being asked, as usual.

"He is not a man," I shook my head. "He's an Eternal. The guy's got serious ego issues."

"You should know what that's like, Tony." Natasha said sweetly. Turning to Fury, she said, "Sir, Barton and I can go out and collect him."

"No," the Director replied. "I need you two in here to observe the interrogation. Send an extraction team in full armour gear," he ordered Maria.

"Yes sir."

We all gathered around portable monitors to watch a six-man team in full metal plating toting AK-47s approach the man in the field, push him to his knees, hand cuff him, and nearly drag him toward the building.

Fury waited until they'd cleared the front doors, then looked at me. "Miss Krueger, it seems we'll have use for you earlier than I thought."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: Alright now, I've got two things to tell you lovely readers—number one, this chapter contains scenes of an adult nature. Remember when Catharine said asking nicely doesn't always work? Yeah. Also, very brief nudity.**

**Also, I wanted to say: Catharine is based on two Marvel comic book characters, and I wanted to address that before I forgot. One of them is actually from the Hulk canon, called Sabra, who was part of Mossad and was trained in anti-terrorist combat. The other is called Gloriana, who possesses Catharine's empathy and power mimicry, along with many other fine qualities. She's part of Captain Britain canon.**

Natasha, Barton and I stood in the observation room looking at our intruder. He wasn't what most people would expect of an enemy infiltrator; plain, white, upper middle class judging by his suit.

Natasha looked over at me. "How do you want to play this?"

"You go in first," I said, watching as the man adjusted his rectangular black spectacles and drummed his fingers casually on the table. "Warm him up, try and get him to give you some answers. Ten minutes, then you get out. Either this man is going to talk or he's not, and spending ages in there won't change anything."

"And after ten minutes?" Barton asked. He already knew the answer, but judging from the smirk of admiration on his face, he wanted to hear me say it.

"Then we try it my way."

Barton and I watched Natasha enter the interrogation room. Our suspect looked up, and I thought I saw fear pass in front of his eyes, but it was gone in a moment.

"I'm Agent Romanoff," she said calmly, sitting down across from him.

"John Smith," he replied. I rolled my eyes. Did this man think all government agencies were stupid, or had he not been briefed on who he was going to meet?

Of course, Natasha played along. "Alright, Mr Smith," she said. "What were you doing out in the cornfield today?"

"Just taking a walk." He replied.

"In those shoes?" Tasha peeked under the table for dramatic effect, peering at his plain but shiny patent leather dress shoes. "I don't think so. Do you know what this building is, Mr Smith?"

"Nope," Smith replied unconcernedly. "Saw you guys in the distance, thought I'd check it out. I'd assumed you were one of those environmental solution companies, but obviously not with the way you're dressed." I watched Natasha stiffen as his eyes dropped to her chest. _Uh oh_.

"No, you're right, Mr Smith, we aren't in environmental solutions. This is an out-posting of a government agency, and you trespassed on federal property."

"Oh," he said. I watched his face for signs of genuine surprise. There were none. This man knew more than he was letting on. "Well, I'm sorry for that."

"You didn't catch on when six S.W.A.T members with Kalashnikovs handcuffed you and dragged you into interrogation?"

He had no response this time. Smith just leaned back in his chair and smirked. Natasha got up and came back to Clint and I, a sour expression on her face. "Please tell me you're going to break him."

"I'll try my best," I replied. "Clint, go in there and strap him to his chair, then remove everything from the room. Oh, and cover the cameras. It might be best if there was no physical evidence of what I'm about to do."

"What are you about to do?" he asked, and the smirk was back.

"First, I'm going to get changed. "

I went back to my room and stripped out of my black trousers. Finding my oldest pair of black jeans, I slid them on. They were almost unbearably tight, but I knew from experience with men like Mr Smith that one size too small could work wonders. Grabbing a few different bras and a couple of blouses in different colours, I slid my stilettos back on and went to find Tony.

Tony and Bruce were in the lab, mostly out of habit since they didn't have much to do as of yet. Bruce looked up and smiled at me, and I returned it.

"Hello Catharine, what can we do for you today?" Tony asked with his winning smile.

"Actually, I need your opinion as men today." I replied with a grin. I tossed the shirts and the bras onto one of the backlit lab tables. Bruce turned near scarlet and Tony looked mildly amused.

"I'm not wearing those no matter what you threaten to do to me." He said.

"Actually, I was going to ask which of them you think I should wear. You've seen our friend in interrogation?"

"We _have_ seen him—the monitor blacked out a minute ago."

"That'll be Clint. I asked him to cover the cameras."

"Why?" Bruce asked suspiciously.

"He and I are going to have a little chat. Now, which of these would work for you boys if I was trying to get information out of you?"

"In those jeans, I might not even notice you were wearing a top." Tony tried to peer round to my backside, but I knocked him upside the head.

"You've got a girlfriend with her own set," I scolded. "Now, which ones?"

"Well, black for the top. Definitely black." The Iron Man told me with certainty. "You look hot in all black."

"Well thank you Tony. Bras? There's a good chance I'll end up showing it to him, so it matters."

"Who is this man?" Bruce asked me.

"Says his name is John Smith—average looking, white, greying round the temples, moderately priced suit. I'd imagine anything vaguely trashy would get his motor running, as you say."

"That one." Bruce pointed at a white lace demi-cup bra. It was semi translucent, and barely covered anything. Naughty but nice, I'd always believed.

"My sometimes-green friend speaks the truth." Tony nodded, clapping Bruce on the shoulder. "Do you own many of those, Miss Krueger?"

"You'll never know, Stark." I grinned, pulling my shirt over my head and turning away to discard of my bra.

"Oh, um, oh—" Bruce stuttered, turning his back to me and trying to pretend he was focussing on compiling research.

"Sorry," I said unconcernedly, pulling the new bra straps up and picking up my black cotton blouse. "I lost all sense of modesty long ago, and sometimes I forget not everyone is the same."

"No, please, be immodest." Tony flapped his hand at me.

"Pepper might judge me for undressing in front of you, Stark, but she will _definitely_ judge you for looking."

"I saw nothing." He turned and stood beside Bruce.

"Thanks for your input, boys." I waved and left the lab, stopping to toss my discarded clothes in my room and then went back to interrogation.

Clint had removed the metal table from the room and all the chairs but one, and tied the man to his chair with thick leather straps. "Nice work," I smiled at Clint, who returned it. "All right." As I went to see Mr Smith, Bruce and Tony rounded the corner.

"We wanted to see you in action." Tony said by way of explanation.

I raised a brow at them. "Fine, but you mustn't interrupt, no matter how objectionable you may find my methods." This was mostly directed at Bruce. I knew he'd worked as a doctor in India, and I could just see Hippocrates cringing at the things I was about to do. Bruce nodded and I went in to visit Mr Smith.

"Hello," I greeted coolly, sitting right in front of him.

"Hi there." He smiled.

I crossed my legs and smiled at him. "Are you married, Mr Smith?"

"No, not anymore."

"Ah, divorced then." He nodded and I continued. "Any children?"

"God no," he shook his head. I smirked and, knowing already how I would break him, moved on.

"I've got a little proposition for you, Mr Smith. For every correct answer you give, and I will know if it is correct, I will unbutton a button. For every lie, I'll do it back up. Sound fair?"

"Absolutely." Smith leaned forward and stared at her.

"Alright then. Who sent you here?"

"I wasn't sent here by anyone."

With a sigh, I buttoned up my open collar.

"Oh come on, that's not fair."

"You told me a lie, Mr Smith. Please don't make me resort to more forcible methods to extract the truth."

"All right. I was sent here by my employer."

"Your employer. All right, not we're making progress. Who is this employer?"

"He's a man of great power."

"Well, I suppose that must be true, or he wouldn't have found us." I unbuttoned another button, revealing the expanse of fabric that held the cups of my bra together.

Smith leaned forward as much as his bindings would allow. I smiled. "You do know where you are right now?"

"Yes."

"Oh, now you're being cheeky." I got up, buttoned one button, and left the room. "Clint, I think it could get darker and quieter in there, don't you?"

"I'll get right on it." He nodded, flipping lights off in the interrogation room.

"Stark could we work on obstructing the flow of personnel around this room? Since it's not sound proofed, that's the best we can do."

"Sure thing, I'll lock some doors and post some signs." He nodded, turning to the monitor on the other side of the room.

"Good. While you're at it, get me some baby wailing sounds and pipe them through to the speakers?" I requested.

"Um okay … why?"

"Did you see him when I asked if he had children? He hates them, and piping a baby's cry through the speakers for an unspecified length of time and random intervals is how I am going to break him. He won't take long."

The other four stared at me for a minute before Tony went back to work and Clint started writing 'HALL CLOSED' signs. Natasha smiled evilly at me, and Bruce just stared.

"You can't do this." He said, following me to the temperature gage by the door and watching as I lowered the temp ten degrees.

"Yes I can," I replied. "This is one thing I actually can do. Something I'm good at. Perhaps that's cold of me, Bruce, but if I'm right we have a hell of a lot less time before this Thanos' attack than I had originally thought."

"You think he's part of the advanced guard?"

"I'm almost positive. And if he is, then this Mr Smith is probably not aware of what he's doing here. Thanos is in control. And if I can find a sure fire way to break his hold on people, maybe we'll stand a chance of saving those people instead of killing them."

"And if he's not part of the advanced guard, and you've tortured this man for nothing?"

"Even if he isn't part of the advanced guard, then he's up to something else. No man wearing Italian shoes walks five miles through upstate New York toward a secret government facility for a laugh." I replied with certainty.

oooooo

After we'd finished doctoring the scene, I looked at the other four. "All right—I'm going to go give an update to Director Fury. Tony, could you perhaps give me loan of JARVIS for an hour or two so I can ask him to turn the crying on and off?"

"He'll be listening." Tony assured her.

"Indeed, Miss Krueger." A pleasing English accent that seemed to come from nowhere assured her.

"Thank you. You can turn the crying on, JARVIS. And if he breaks, could you perhaps inform me?"

"Certainly, Miss Krueger."

I approached the control room and went over to Fury.

"Ah, Miss Krueger, is our friend comfortable?" the Director asked.

"I certainly hope not." I replied. "I've employed sensory deprivation and repetitive noises. It shouldn't take long."

"Excellent." I could sense deep satisfaction. How have the Avengers taken to seeing your skills in action?"

"Tasha and Clint have worked with me before, and Tony seems fascinated by the whole thing. Banner is rather disgusted with me. The Captain hasn't seen, thank god, and Thor hasn't left Jane's room since last night. Even if he did, I doubt he'd care."

"Maybe not." Fury looked like he was about to go on when we were interrupted by a banging door and a yell of Catharine's name. I could sense the righteous rage all the way across the room.

"Catharine!" Steve called, practically charging me down. "I've been to see our suspect in interrogation. Agent Barton informs me that you've lowered the temperature in his side of the room, turned off the lights, and are planning to torture him with infants' cries?"

I looked at my watch and back at Captain America. "Actually, the babies' wailing should have started by now."

"This is inhumane," he continued. "It's insane! You can't do this to an American citizen! It's against everything this country stands for!"

"The country you were so eager to fight for no longer exists, Captain Rogers." I said. "And even if it did, America has never shied away from unsavory things if it meant getting results. And that's what I'm doing. Getting. Results."

"Miss Krueger, I've left the soundtrack playing for six minutes, shall I shut it off?" JARVIS asked me.

"Yes, JARVIS, please. And kindly turn it back on in exactly one minute. Leave it on for two, then ask me again."

"Certainly, Miss Krueger." I could have been wrong, but it sounded like Tony's AI butler was judging me.

"I'm starving. Early lunch, Captain?" I asked. With a despondent nod, Steve led me back to the cafeteria.

Natasha, Clint, Tony and Bruce were already sitting around a table, most with just coffee but Clint had a sandwich. I grabbed a sandwich and some tea, and went and joined the group.

"How's the torture coming?" Bruce asked lightly.

"Oh, not you as well!" I cried, sitting down. "Do none of you realise that this is my job? I may not always want to do it, but it's why I was brought here."

"Still, it doesn't seem like something Americans should be doing," Steve grumbled.

"I'm not American. Besides, should we add up all of your body counts and compare scores?" The table fell silent. "Natasha, back me up—interrogation, whether by me or you, was not going to work this time."

"If you're right, and he's under Thanos' spell, then there's nothing short of cognitive recalibration that'll fix it." Everyone but Clint stared at her. Hawkeye was staring at his plate. "Hitting someone in the head really hard."

"Well, Catharine hasn't suggested that," Tony said, ever the reluctant optimist.

"No, I haven't. I've got a lot more tricks to try before we get to that one." I nodded.

"Miss Krueger, it has been two minutes of silence in the interrogation room." JARVIS informed me.

"Thank you JARVIS. Turn the crying back on for five minutes, then thirty seconds of silence, then turn it back on once again."

"Yes Miss Krueger."

We sat there waiting for the better part of an hour, waiting while I instructed JARVIS and the whole group played gin rummy.

"Miss Krueger, the suspect is yelling. It does not appear to be an Earth language."

Leaving my cards behind, I sprinted off toward the observation room. "Turn the crying off, JARVIS." I commanded. Immediately the wailing desisted, and I could hear Mr Smith more clearly. His eyes glowed red in the blackness, and a angry, gravelly voice screamed at me in a language I didn't recognise.

Turning the lights back on, I wandered casually into the room. "Hello, Mr Smith."

He continued to screech at me, and I sat across from him. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"You Earthlings cannot contain me!" finally, he spoke in English. "I am Thanos, and I will RULE YOU ALL!"

"Why have you decided to take poor Mr Smith as a host?" I asked.

"He was weak, it was easy."

"You don't seem the type to do things the easy way."

"You are all weak, it is not hard to control you. You are made to be ruled."

"You know, we've heard that pitch before. I'm sure you heard, he got flattened by a Hulk." I sat back and tried to look unconcerned, though my heart was beating fast.

"Loki was unprepared. He did not have the qualities necessary to rule."

"And neither do you." I sat forward and glared into his red eyes.

My eyes widened as Thanos, or rather Mr Smith, began to seize and went slack in his chair. When his eyes opened, they were hazel again and he looked confused.

"Who're you? Where the hell am I?" he asked angrily, trying to get up but held down by his bindings. "And why the fuck am I tied up?"


	5. Chapter 5

**As always, read and review, you lovely comic book nerds! xo**

After escorting Mr Smith to the infirmary, where besides being examined by the doctor, both Tony and Bruce took a chance to get samples. I hoped the two geniuses could come up with some explanation of how Thanos had taken over Mr Smith's body, and how it manifested itself. Maybe we could devise a way to scan for him? It might be too little too late, but at least S.H.I.E.L.D could have something in defence.

I wasn't privy to what Director Fury told the very confused Mr Smith as a cover story, but Maria muttered to me in passing that it had something to do with a psychogenic fugue state. Whatever story Fury spun, it worked, and Mr Smith left in a helicopter that would drop him off at his home outside Albany.

After seeing our guest off, I made my way back down to the lab. I knew Bruce and Tony weren't overly thrilled with me at the minute, but I needed to know all I could.

"Amazingly, his name really is John Smith." Tony told me when I came in. From the way he was grinning, I could tell he'd already forgiven me. His mind operated much like a pachinko machine.

"Get out," I replied, hopping up onto the counter to look over his shoulder at the data. He'd blown up a copy of Smith's drivers' licence on one of the larger glass screens suspended from the ceiling. Sure enough, his name was _really_ John Smith.

"Hm," I sighed. "Anything yet on his blood work?"

"Bruce's just started running it," He gestured over his shoulder to where Bruce was standing at the mass spectrometer.

"Anything?" I asked quietly, coming up beside him.

"There's nothing physically abnormal about the sample," he began, not looking at me. "But just because the cells aren't visibly mutated doesn't mean Thanos doesn't leave some trace."

"Hopefully so." I let the awkward silence reign for a moment more before adding, "I know you're upset with me…"

"I have no reason to be upset with you," Somehow I doubted his sentiment was sincere. "You were right, what you said before. It is your job. And, we have no reason to judge you—hell, my body count alone could probably pale yours."

"I shouldn't have brought that up." I apologised. "What is your magic number?"

I stood there so long I was beginning to feel like an idiot. I was about to turn away when he replied in a whisper, "Thirty one."

"From the Harlem incident?" I asked.

"That, and from my first transformations; my control was… sporadic, to say the least." He looked so guilty, and I could feel all his pain, that all I wanted was to make him feel better.

"I know it won't help, and I know it won't bring them back, but my magic number is significantly higher than yours." I whispered. "And you saved Tony. Don't think Tasha and I don't gossip about all of you. You saved his life, and I only hope that knowledge helps to assuage your guilt. It should—those of us who haven't been so lucky know no such peace."

"How much higher?" he asked roughly.

With a sad smile, I replied, "Higher. One day, I will tell you the story." Turning away, I caught Tony's eye. I could sense his nervousness at being caught, but I simply gave him a smirk. I'll be in my office down the hall—come get me if anything turns up."

0oOo0

"Hey." Clint knocked on my doorframe a few hours later. I looked up from strategising Thanos' possible motives and gave him a tired smile.

"Hi."

"You've been crying."

"I have not."

"Liar." He smirked in satisfaction and came over to sit in the chair next to my desk. "What's up, Dem?"

He always called me Dem in moments of emotional crisis—I think it was his way of distancing himself from female drama. I noticed he did this with everyone, except Natasha. This wasn't particularly surprising, given what I knew about the two of them.

"Nothing's up—everything's down." I sighed, leaning back in my seat. "Just thinking about what Nat calls the red in my ledger."

"Ah. I find it best not to think about that." He advised.

"I try."

"Good girl. Now, this—" he reached over to where 'Unlike Me' by Kate Havnevik was playing on my iPod. "Is super depressing, Dem. Do you have our song on here?"

"Oh god I can't believe you remember that night!" I sighed, smiling as he clicked through my playlists.

"Of course I do. Our last mission together, one crazy night in Tel Aviv."

"I mean I can't believe you actually remember it. You were completely wasted that night." Clint was rapidly improving my mood with good stories from times past.

"Of course I was. Not every day we kill a bad guy and save a good guy."

"True." He turned to me with a wink as 'Don't Do Me Like That' by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers came on. He turned it up too loud almost to be respectful.

"Come on, d'you remember this?"

"I remember practically having to flash the DJ to get him to play it," I replied with a grin and a blush. Clint shrugged unconcernedly and grabbed my hand, pulling me out of my chair. "No, no, Clint, I don't want to."

"Too bad." He grinned, pulling me into his arms and dancing me around the room.

"You'd better hope Nat doesn't take this the wrong way," I teased.

"Shit, I knew you'd figure that out." He groaned.

"Figure it out? I've known since I set foot on the base." I laughed at his blush. "Don't worry Clint your secret's safe with me." I let him think I was going to let it go for about thirty seconds before I asked, "…So, is it just sex?"

"Yeah," he replied. "I think that's all either of us wants right now."

"Okay. Well, you know I'm the last person to advise against sex with benefits." I gave him a little grin. "Don't worry about it."

"What on Earth?" Bruce asked, clearly amused as he watched us dance. I broke away, a pink flush on my cheeks and neck.

"Sorry. Walk down memory lane."

"No problem. I uh, I've got some of the blood tests ready if you want to see."

"Absolutely, lead the way." Clint and I followed him back to the lab, where he had part of Mr Smith's blood sample on a slide under the microscope. An image of the sample at two hundred times magnification was on the screen above it.

"So, I was running the standard battery of tests when I saw these," Banner motioned to the cells on the screen. "They're brain cells."

"And you got those from the sample you took from his arm?" I asked.

"Yes. They shouldn't be there, not specialised cells."

"So what does that tell you?" Barton asked.

"Something Thanos is doing it causing brain cells to leak into the blood stream."

"And obviously that's bad, right?"

"Is it life threatening?" I asked.

"Not necessarily. We gave him a transfusion of plasma and sugars when he came into the infirmary—he should heal, no outside damage. It's rather like bruising a kidney. He'll have a hell of a headache, but he should be fine in a few days."

"Awesome. At least we know no one killed anybody. At least not yet."

"Mhm." Barton nodded.

"…Right." Banner said. "Well, I have no idea how to reverse its effects, but you seemed to be pretty effective."

"I usually am." I replied. It wasn't bragging, necessarily… well, maybe it was. I'm good at my job.

"Can we figure out a way to tell who is under his power?" Clint asked.

"Not yet, but Tony's working on it." Banner gestured across the room the where Tony was pacing his lab, seemingly talking to himself.

"Great. Well, while the Earth's mightiest heroes work on that, I'm going to do some more reading then I'm going to bed. Sensory deprivation always makes me tired."

0oOo0

A few hours later I was awoken from a lovely dream involving me, Allen Leech and an unlimited supply of Chanel number five by the proximity alarm.

"Are you FUCKING kidding me?" I heard from next door. Natasha.

"Merde!" I grunted from under my pillow, throwing myself out of bed and padding to the door.

"Unless we're having a walking dead situation, I don't care," Maria grumbled, coming out of her room across from mine.

"What's going on?" Steve asked, fully dressed and upright, if a little puffy eyed.

"Who is this man in the ceiling and why does he always interrupt my slumber?" Thor asked. Jane sighed and leaned against the door, closing her eyes.

"We'd better go see what's wrong," Natasha finally said, going to get her boots. She actually looked kind of adorable in combat boots and red silk pyjama bottoms.

All of us grabbed shoes and weapons and went downstairs to the control room. Fury was standing at his usual perch barking orders. We watched as another strike team pulled _another_ man out of the cornfield and hauled him inside.

"I need more sleep if we're going to be torturing anyone else." I protested.

"This one seems more than cooperative, Miss Krueger." Fury replied. "He stopped inches inside the proximity alarm and demanded to talk to the Avengers."

We all looked at each other, thinking about how trustworthy this man might be. Bruce and Tony, still fully dressed, came into the room.

"What is it NOW?" Tony asked petulantly. "I was on the cusp of a breakthrough." From behind him, Bruce looked at the group and shook his head 'no'. Obviously this Thanos-scanner device was a long way from ironed out.

"Well, I suppose we had better go talk to him." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I could feel Bruce's eyes on me, and the feeling was unnerving. "Did he tell you his name?"

Fury nodded. "He said he was Matt Murdock."

**Author's Notes: I'd just like to say at this point, 'Merde' is French for 'shit'. As if you couldn't have figured that out. :)**

**Those Marvel-lovers among you will know who Matthew Murdock is, and I hope you enjoy it. This will not be the only cameo in this story!**


	6. Chapter 6

**So I'm a little nervous about Catharine, I've never written a character with her character flaws before. She kind of scares me, since I made her up. **

**I've taken some serious liberties with the Thanos story line in this fic, namely making the Elders and the Godlike the same people. They aren't, but for the purposes of continuity and simplicity, I've merged the two.**

**On an unrelated note, I paraphrase a quote from 'Castle' in this chapter. Also, I take a little joke from Dr Horrible's Musical Sing-a-long blog.**

As we all went back to our rooms to get dressed, I hung back to walk next to Bruce.

"What were you staring at? What I said wasn't interesting enough for your face to do what it was doing."

He smiled, and I saw the blush, felt the embarrassment. "Nothing, I'm sorry. I've just never seen you looking… well, not like you usually do. Usually not a thing out of place- th-that makes it seem like its bad, but it's not… Your hair looks nice down."

Now it was my turn to blush. It didn't happen very often— a fortunate side effect of reading other people's emotions was that you rarely had to feel any yourself.

"Thank you."

I looked down at myself and decided I must look in quite a state in my grey boxer shorts and my shirt with the menorah on it, the symbol for Mossad. My hair felt crazy, long curls hanging down my back, sort of a tamer darker version of Keri Russell.

We stopped outside my room and I looked up at Bruce. He was standing with his hands in his pockets, head cast down, practically humming with the urge to fidget.

"I uh- I better let you get changed." He mumbled, shuffling his feet.

"Oh, yeah, um… I'll meet you and the others in observation."

He nodded and made his way down the hall. I entered my room and leaned against the closed door. "What was THAT?" I asked myself. Shaking my head, I pushed off from the door and found something to wear. I told myself that I left my hair down because we were in a hurry. I didn't want to think about why it was a lie.

Matt Murdock was sitting in the newly re-furnished interrogation room, looking far too relaxed for someone who had just been hauled into a secret government facility.

The Avengers plus me, Darcy and Hill stood and watched as he inhaled deeply and sighed. He was looking around like he was trying to commit everything in the room to memory, but his pupils weren't moving.

"He's blind," I said almost to myself.

"What? You're sure?" Tony asked.

"No, not expressly sure. But it makes sense. At least I won't have to change my clothes or my makeup."

"Huh?" Tony asked.

"When you're interrogating men, Tony, making yourself their ideal usually does a world of good." I looked left and right at the group. "Who's going in there with me? He said he wanted to talk to the Avengers." I raised an eyebrow at Tony, our resident adventurer.

"Who? Me?" he asked, giving me his 'innocent' face. "No way."

"Why not, Stark?" Steve baited. "You're always up for a little danger."

"Danger? Yes. Touchy feely interview with the kid from the 'Miracle Worker'? No. Why can't the big guy go?" he asked, gesturing to Bruce.

"Oh, _that's _a good idea." Bruce said with an eye roll.

"What? If you go all lean, mean and green he won't be able to see you." Stark shrugged. I scoffed.

"What about Natasha?" Banner asked.

"I will accompany Lady Catharine to speak to the blind man." Thor offered graciously. Before he could make it to the door, the god of Thunder looked at the sky and asked, "What?"

"Is he…?" Natasha couldn't finish the thought.

"Talking to himself." Clint affirmed.

"Well that's a new shade of crazy we've never seen on him before." Tony observed, flinching when Darcy smacked his arm.

"Are you sure, my friend?" Thor asked. We all looked at each other, waiting for our Norse god to enlighten us. "Heimdall tells me that the Elders of the universe are being targeted. Their essences are being…consumed. My father is more worried than expected, and Heimdall believes there is something he is not telling anyone, even my mother."

"If Captain Hammer is done talking to his Gatekeeper, can we get this show on the road? My information is time-sensitive." The nine of us turned from Thor to the one-way glass, where Mr Murdock was sitting with his hands behind his head, staring as though he could see them.

"What in the name of…" Maria asked, looking at the rest of us. "There's no way he can see us in here, let alone hear us."

"It would appear that Mr Murdock possesses some unique talents of his own." I said wryly.

"Yes I do, and if it's all the same I think I'd like to have the woman who smells like Chanel and the one you called the 'Big Guy'."

The men looked between Natasha, Darcy, Hill and me.

Hill shook her head. "Director Fury doesn't allow perfume for agents."

Darcy scoffed. "Can't afford the stuff."

"I wear Chanel when I'm not in the field." I sighed. "Shall we Bruce?"

Murdock was getting far too cocky for my liking. I gestured for Bruce to precede me and went to speak to our new friend.

"Finally." Murdock said, sitting forward. "I was beginning to think you Avengers were going to chit chat all day."

"Mr Murdock, I'm Catharine Krueger." I began brusquely, sitting down. Bruce leaned against the wall beside the one-way glass.

"And him?"

"Dr Bruce Banner." He said from behind me.

"Now that we're all friends, why don't you tell us what you came to tell us?"

"Oh yes," Murdock leaned his elbows on the table and looked straight at me.

"I know that there is an alien gunning for Earth. Again. And I want to help this time."

"Why would you want to do that?" Bruce asked.

"Now, normally I wouldn't do this, but you're the Avengers, so—I'm Daredevil. Maybe you've heard of me."

"Daredevil?" I asked, turning to Bruce.

"Vigilante from Hell's Kitchen," He supplied. "S.H.I.E.L.D, not to mention the NYPD, could have a serious bone to pick with you."

"Maybe so, but I could be a valuable asset, so I think they'll look the other way."

"Why would we want you?" I inquired lightly.

"I was sent a message by an old acquaintance, who thinks that your baddie is collecting an 'evil league of evil' to help him do what he can't."

"And what's that?" Bruce asked.

"Blend in around here. Apparently this Thanos isn't very good looking." Matt smirked.

"Who is your friend?" I asked.

"He's called Adam Warlock. One of his enemies, Gamora, has stolen something from an Elder. I don't know what, but I know he means to give it to Thanos."

"All right. We'll have to deliberate, of course." I smiled, then remembered he couldn't see me. "By the way, just how far do those super-senses of yours extend?"

"A hell of a lot farther than your observation room. If you want to have a conversation about Thanos, I suggest you go now—Thor and the Captain are arguing about space travel."

With an exaggerated eye roll, Bruce and I left the room. Sure enough, Steve and Thor were in a heated debate about travelling to Asgard. Thor thought it was absolutely necessary, while Rogers preferred to stay on solid ground, thank you very much.

"Enough." Natasha said, one hand to her temple. "You realise that this Murdock kid can hear us, right?" Everyone shut up and filed out of the room. We went down to Jane's lab, where she and Pepper were having lunch and running the world. Or at least, that's how I thought of it.

"Lady Jane," Thor smiled, wrapping one arm around her shoulders. "It appears you will see Asgard much sooner than I had originally thought."

"Really?" Jane looked delighted at the prospect, while I noticed Steve looked a bit ill.

"It is necessary for us to do battle with the fearsome new foe. I believe it would be best for the buildings of Earth if we did battle with Thanos before he gets here."

"I agree," Clint raised one hand. "I'd like not to destroy Manhattan again, given the opportunity."

"I agree as well, but we're out of the way here, and we have no reason to believe this Thanos won't come directly to us." Steve argued.

"But why wait in fear until he decides to attack?" Maria asked. "I say we take the fight to him."

"Is the Midgard ready?" I asked, turning to Tony.

"Well, no one's seen Eric Selvig in days, so we must be close," he answered.

"Go find out." Natasha and Maria ordered in unison. Tony saluted and left the room in a goose step.

"So are we going to take Murdock up on his offer?" Clint asked.

"Why not? The more the merrier." Bruce replied, heavy on the sarcasm.

"It might be, when it comes to a fight like this." Natasha said.

"As long as we can figure out if he is who he says he is…" Darcy interjected. We all looked at her. "What? Am I the only one who thinks Spidey-sense out there might be lying?"

"Come on, Barton." Natasha said, stalking out of the room. "We're going to visit Murdock's apartment."

**Okay, so I used Dr Horrible twice. It's fantastic, I couldn't help myself. Also, I was never really into Daredevil, so I kind of took his characterisation into my own hands. Hope you don't mind.**


	7. Chapter 7

**M. EMMMMMMM. Bottom half not fit for public perusal. **

After Natasha and Clint ascertained that Matt really was who he said he was, Fury let him out of interrogation and gave him a room. However, the good Director didn't give him a chance to settle in, calling a meeting the second we'd all gone back to work.

"I want to talk about Thor's suggestion that we go to Asgard." He said, cutting straight to the point. Everyone was here, even Jane and Darcy and the Vanirians, which showed just how seriously he was taking this 'suggestion'.

"I'm still not convinced we need to," Steve spoke up immediately.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Come on Cap, I know you're an old fashioned guy and everything, but it's perfectly safe! Stop being a little girl." Pepper gave him a slap and he shrugged dramatically. "What? You're not worried are you?"

"I assume I have no reason to be. Someone has to stay on Earth and run the company. But I know your massive self-preservation complex wouldn't allow you to go if it wasn't safe." Pepper returned smartly.

"How well you know me," Stark grinned and covered her hand with his.

"I still think it would be best if we went to my father," Thor chipped in. "He will know more about these beings and what is so important that they would risk battling with the Elders. These are powerful beings."

"I agree." Fury nodded. "Freya, Ullr, Kvasir? How close to completion are the repairs on the Midgard?"

"Very near completion," Kvasir answered, his light eyes flicking to Erick. "Dr Selvig has been immensely helpful."

"We have about a week, maybe less." Erik surmised.

"Excellent. That gives us enough time to complete all the necessary paperwork, and make sure all personal loose ends are tied up. Pack your bags and update your insurance, people. We're going to space."

0oOo0

I was in my office, emailing my superiors in Israel when there was a knock on my door. I turned down Norah Jones and called, "Come in."

Bruce opened the door and slid into the room, giving me a smile. "Hi."

"Hi," I replied. "D'you have all your… what is the expression? Ducks in a bunch?"

"Row," he corrected. "And I don't have many ducks to line up. No one keeps tabs on me besides S.H.I.E.L.D, so I just put some research on the servers for safe keeping. Done."

"Really? No doting Mum?" I teased.

"Hah, no."

"No wife?" I asked.

"Didn't you read my file?"

"Not all of it," I answered, sitting up straight. "I prefer to have my information first hand. And since you weren't provided with my file, it seemed unfair."

"Right," He looked at me strangely, as though he couldn't understand me. "What about you? Emailing friends and coworkers?"  
"They're one in the same, I'm afraid," I sighed, smiling a little. "I'm just writing my superior officer to tell him they'll need to loan me out for a little longer. They won't be happy, but no one will make a fuss."

"And that's it? No plants to water or anything?"

I laughed quietly. "I don't have time for plants, or friends. I have some friends, I suppose, but none who haven't killed people either for money or fun. It tends to put a damper on personal relationships."

"And you? Have you killed someone?" He was staring at me, his gaze flicking around from my eyes to my mouth, as if trying to map my discomfort. I felt his curiosity from our earlier conversation, and decided the Incredible Hulk could handle part of my story.

"I've killed many 'someone's." I replied quietly. "It's been my job my whole life."

"Does that really happen?" He asked me dubiously. "The first time I met Natasha, she said she'd started her career as a child. I wasn't sure how much of that was true."

"All of it, from what I know. But unlike Natasha, who had no one and was trained as an assassin, I was bought from my parents when my abilities became known."

"Bought." He looked a little green, but not in the Hulk-way.

"That's what my file says. They had a lot of children, and it was the early eighties in rural France—times were hard and they took a less conventional route to solve their problems. I probably would have done the same thing."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Even after you've seen what I do? You know I may not always like it, but I have no compunctions about making the hard decision. I was raised not to show compassion, and in the interrogation room I'm very good at hiding it."

"Yes you are." He said it quietly, his eyes leaving me to stare at my desktop.

"I'm sorry if that disturbs you."

"That you no longer take shame in your job? I suppose eventually everyone assimilates."

"Exactly. Who I am normally is not who I pretend to be in an interrogation. It's all a show, put on for the suspect's benefit. I appear as a dominatrix, or a Stepford Wife, or a caring ear. I change personalities and methods by changing my shoes. I was taught by the very best."

"Obviously." We were quiet for a moment before Bruce asked, "What happened to you after you were…sold."

"I was taken to Bologne," I replied. "I don't remember it, but I read my own file. There was a secret base of an organisation called DGSE there, do you know it?"

"No."

"They are the Direction Generale de la Securite Exterieure. A sort of… French secret service. They taught me to hone my gifts, to concentrate on a single individual. They taught me everything I know about becoming someone else. I proved a very talented pupil, and soon I was sold to the Israeli government as part of an ally negotiation."

"How old were you?" he was beginning to look angry, and I regretted trying to tell him this story.

"I'm not sure… maybe twelve?"

Before Bruce could make a reply, another knock sounded and Tony poked his head through the door.

"Hey…" he said, drawing out the word. "Am I interrupting something? Please tell me I'm interrupting something."

"What do you want, Tony?" I asked.

"Thor and I are going to celebrate his impending return to Asgard with a joint and a large box of gummy bears—"

"Worry not, Lady Catharine," Thor said, pushing his head into the gap in the door above Tony's. "Son of Howard assures me that they are only bear shaped food, not actual bears."

Tony rolled his eyes. "You wanna come?"

"Where on earth did you get marijuana around here?" I asked in surprise.

"You can get anything as long as you know where to look. Or, if you have an AI butler who knows where to look."

"JARVIS, you were in on this?" I asked with a laugh.

There was a long-suffering sigh, and JARVIS replied, "Mr Stark has programmed me not to refuse him, merely to present an alternative argument."

"I see. Well, I was never one to pass up a party. Bruce?" I asked, looking back over at him. With an open mouth, I watched as he struggled in his chair, trying to keep calm. "Bruce!" I demanded, standing up. He looked at me and I watched his eyes flash from brown to green and back again. "Connasse. Tony, we—"

Before I could finish my sentence, Bruce tore out of my office and ran full stop down the hall. Stark, Thor and I were on his heels.

"Fight your demons, my friend," Thor advised, pulling Bruce back so Stark could rush ahead and open the cage aboard the Midgard. Tony hit the controls with perfect precision, opening the reinforced glass door for his friend. Bruce didn't even hesitate, rushing inside and falling to the ground breathing heavily.

"Don't worry buddy," Stark said casually. "We saved all your documents, you've got nothing to worry about."

The laugh Bruce let out was shaky and in a considerably lower pitch than his normal tone of voice. Once Tony had ensured the cage was closed, I approached it, finally sitting on the floor with one hand resting on the glass.

"Bruce, you don't have to be afraid to let him out," I whispered, knowing the other guy's sensitive hearing would pick up my voice. "You're safe in there, you can't hurt us, and more importantly you can't hurt yourself-"

"HURT MYSELF?" He screamed in the big guy's voice, throwing himself against the glass and making the entire room shake. "He's going to hurt YOU!"

"Not me, Bruce," I reasoned. "He might hurt others, but not me."

"How do you know…" he gasped as his skin was infused with green and his body grew to three times its usual size. His clothes were torn to shreds and I tried not to look at _other_ things that were growing as well. Once the transformation was complete and the Hulk was banging about quite happily in his new prison, I turned to Thor.

"Thank you," I smiled, not bothering to get up. "He will be like this for a while—why don't you go back to Jane? You two have a lot of lost time to make up for." The demigod's eyes softened and he nodded, leaving the room swinging his hammer. "Tony," I instructed, raising a brow at the billionaire. "You are a rich man with a lot of people to do your bidding—have one of them get Bruce some clothes for when he comes back to himself."

"Yes ma'am," he saluted me. "What will you do?"

I looked back into the cage, watching Bruce for a moment as he banged his massive fists against every surface, looking for a way out. "I'll stay with him. I don't want him to wake up alone."

The Hulk stuck around for the better part of an hour. Tony went himself to get Bruce some clothes, then dropped them off, leaving with a wave.

As he shrunk down and fell unconscious, Fury walked in and stood beside me. "He should be awake soon."

"Yes," I replied.

"What brought it on this time?"

"Me." I could only make myself whisper.

"I beg your pardon?" Fury looked beyond displeased, and I forced myself to meet his gaze and straighten my posture.

"I told him a bit about my past. It isn't a happy story, as you well know."

"Indeed. You will fix this, Miss Krueger, you will talk to Dr Banner and apologise for upsetting him. You will refrain from talking to him personally again."

"Pardon?" I stood up smoothly, turning to face him. "I will speak to whomever I choose about whatever I choose whenever I choose. I am not under your _command_, Director, I am here to help you and I can leave whenever I choose."

"If you say so, Miss Krueger," he smirked. "You may leave, but I can have every airport gate and bus terminal on the East Coast closed with a phone call."

With a great groan, Bruce came back to the land of the living. Shooting Fury a murderous look, I opened the cage and approached the very naked Bruce with his folded clothes.

"Here," I said softly, laying them down next to his prone form and turning away, trying to give him some privacy.

He left the cage eyes cast down, not even turning his head to look at me. Fury stared at me with his single judging eye until I turned with a grumble and exited after Bruce. He was out of the ship and on his way to his room by the time I caught him. The man could move quickly when he didn't want company.

"Bruce," I called, jogging to catch up to him.

"Not now, Catharine." He growled, increasing his pace.

"Yes now," I replied, catching him up and turning him with a hand on his elbow. "You're not going to scare me away, Bruce. Not with him and not with this mood you've got yourself into."

"Then you're a fool!" He hissed.

"No, I'm a mutant. I can take anything you can throw at me."

"Oh, can you?" His voice rose and he pushed me against the wall, his hands on either side of my waist.

"Yes," I shot back, my face close to his. His eyes flashed green and I felt his all-consuming anger, then one of his hands was in my hair and he roughly pulled my mouth to his. After an angry, hot, open mouthed kiss, Bruce grabbed me by the waist and hauled me into his room.

Bruce shoved me against the wall just inside the door to his room and nearly pounced, closing the distance between us before I could even blink. I was sure I would have at least one bruise from his force, but to be honest his show of dominance turned me on. Apparently the sexual tension and innuendo heaped upon us by Stark was frustrating him as well as the other guy, because I could see the rage in his eyes as he breathed heavily, his face inches from mine. His control was slipping. Sure I could distract him, I closed the distance and kissed him fiercely, hoping a bit of old fashioned wanton behaviour would be enough to keep Bruce in the present.

"We can't…" he panted against my mouth, leaving a trail with the very tip of his tongue to my neck. "I should—"

"Don't worry," I breathed, tilting my head to capture his lips again. I was pressed very intimately against him, and I could tell that while his mind was urging him to push away, his body was most definitely telling him to stay. "I'm not worried, I trust you…"

"I don't trust me," he replied harshly, still kissing behind my ear and down my neck.

"I don't care about the other guy—he poses no threat to me—he knows I'd be able to mimic his power should anything happen. We can do this, Bruce. You can relax." My hands, which had been on his shoulders, slid up a little higher and worked at the ever-present knot in his neck. "I want you. BOTH of you."

With an animalistic growl, Bruce pushed me against the wall harder, adrenaline or the Hulk helping him hoist me higher so I could wrap my legs around his waist. Thanking all the gods that weren't on this base that I wore a dress today, I moaned as his hand snaked up the outside of my thigh then dove in, literally making shreds of my panties. I'd never been so aroused by the violence of the act before, the passion—my few other lovers had been very…sweet. I had no experience with this rawness, but I was more than willing to learn on the job.

As we groaned and arched against each other, I pulled half of the buttons off Bruce's shirt in my eagerness to get it off. Once it lay on the floor I dug in with my nails, surely leaving tracks. He didn't seem to mind, as he bit below my collarbone, not hard enough to break the actual bone, but drawing a small amount of blood. I was too caught up in the rush of the moment to give it much thought.

"Please," I begged. I'd never done that before. Nor could I ever remember being this loud. "Now, please…please…"

Ripping the buttons down the front of my dress in turn, I was soon assaulted as Bruce made himself familiar with my breasts, his scruff scratching the soft skin. I pushed my chest forward, encouraging him. He kissed and licked my nipple through my bra, before that item had to go too. He didn't have to rip this one, as it opened from the front. Soon it joined the rest of my clothes on the floor.

The blood was pounding in my ears but below that I could hear Bruce's moans as he practically tore his belt off and toed out of shoes, socks, boxers and trousers, never putting me down. Once we were pressed skin to skin, I began to understand his madness- it was intoxicating. I ran my fingers through his hair and tugged at it, pulling his mouth to mine, then pulling his hands up my legs to rest on my bottom. I could have sworn I heard the Hulk grunt in appreciation before Bruce thrust into me with a single stroke, filling me to the hilt. I screamed in satisfaction. Somehow our bodies managed to get even closer as a result.

When he began to thrust in and out, I revised my thought about bruises; I'd definitely have them, but I couldn't care about anything as long as he didn't stop. My hips and bottom, still held by him, were pounding against the wall in time with his strokes, and I hit my head when I threw it back, overwhelmed.

"Faster," I begged, pulling him in so he was barely moving in and out now, but more up and down as he held me a bit higher than his body. "Bruce, harder, please… oh GOD,"

"Catharine," he growled, his own fingers tightening on my skin, enough to hurt in the good way. "Just a little longer…"

"Keep going," I pleaded, my hands holding my body up against his shoulders. With a great shudder and a very loud groan of my name, I felt him come inside me as I lost control with a breathy scream. Once we'd both calmed somewhat, Bruce turned us both and flopped me onto the bed with a bounce, following me down to lay half on top of me. I laughed quietly, one hand on his cheek, the other still unable to move following my toe-curling orgasm. "Wow." I told him, delighting in his flush.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."

I raised a disbelieving brow. "Who cares?"


	8. Chapter 8

**So I'm glad there was some positive response to the M-rated scene. I was nervous about it, since I``ve never written a smut scene in first person before. That was awkward. This chapter is rated for sex, swearing and use of THC. Yeah, sh*t just got serious.**

"That was quite possibly the best sex I've ever had. Tell you for sure in a minute when my memory comes back."

He chuckled. "I didn't think I could do that. I mean, I haven't since…"

"Really? Not since you've been cohabitating in there with the Other Guy?" I asked, tapping his temple gently.

"No. It was too dangerous in case I hurt the woman, or demolished something."

I giggled again. "Well you could've taken this place down and I wouldn't have given a _damn_."

"And I did hurt you," he observed, ghosting one finger over what felt like a very impressive hickey.

"So?" I asked unconcernedly, waving him away. "I've had a hell of a lot worse, and those men certainly didn't do _that_ to take my mind off of it."

I was certain we were about to have an awkward post-coital moment, _and_ I didn't have any cigarettes on me. What can I say, it's a French thing. Our silence continued for a full minute, where we both caught our breath and tried not to look at the other.

There was a quick knock on the door and Matt poked his head in. I went to cover myself with the edge of the bed sheets before remembering that he couldn't see me. Rolling my eyes at my own mental gaffe, I looked to Bruce. He had one brow raised at Murdock.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Fury wants Catharine. Apparently I've been turned into his personal errand boy."

I blushed furiously. Of course, the damned man had super senses, he probably heard everything. With an uncomfortable glance at Bruce, I rolled off the bed and pulled on my dress, wrapping the front around my waist seeing as it didn't have most of the buttons anymore. Grabbing my delicates and my shoes, I opened the door further and walked past Matt, who had a grin on his face that I wanted to slap off.

"We'll have to stop off at my room first," I said as professionally as I could while half naked in the hallway next to Daredevil. I walked further down the hall, and Matt followed me.

"No problem," he replied. I slid into my bedroom and left him in the hall. Running one hand over my face, I headed for the bathroom to clean myself up.

After changing my clothes (making sure to hide my new hickey), I met Matt back in the hallway. He smirked at me and turned to lead me to the control room.

"So how much did you hear?" I asked, not looking at him.

"Most of it," he admitted. "My room is just up the hall from Banner's. You got quieter for a while, but _that_ didn't last long."

"Shut up." I snapped.

"So have you and he been… you know… long?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck.

"No." I replied shortly. "Congratulations, Mr Murdock, you overheard the first time Dr Banner and I had sex."

Matt groaned. "Awesome. Look, I'm really sorry. I thought the two of you had an… understanding. I mean, you and I both know the sex is rarely that good the first time."

"Yeah, I suppose so. You are sworn to secrecy about this, Matt, do you understand? If the others find out we'll never hear the end of it and Bruce doesn't deserve that."

"Yes ma'am." He nodded.

We reached the control room and Matt stood farther back as I approached Fury.

"Miss Krueger, I wanted to know how Dr Banner was feeling. I assume he accepted your apology."

"Yes," I replied, fighting not to blush. "Yes, I think everything is fine."

"Good. I trust you will be more careful in the future?"

"Certainly Director." I replied in as sweet a voice as possible. Honestly, I was frightened of him but Fury can be a real ass sometimes. He nodded and I took that to mean that I was dismissed. Turning I walked quickly back toward the personnel quarters, suddenly finding myself ravenous after all the sex.

Awkwardly, Bruce was in the kitchen as well, heating up leftovers from when Thor and Jane experimented with wok food. "Hi." I said, walking the long way around the island in the middle of the room to give us some space.

"Hey," he replied, fishing a fork out of the drawer and holding another up to me._ I suppose we've shared more than leftovers at this point,_ I thought to myself, nodding. He set the leftovers on the island and slid a fork over to me. As we sat across from one another and began to pick at the plate, I decided to actually make my apology.

"I'm sorry about upsetting you," I said quietly, my gaze solely on the plate. "I didn't think hearing about me would… you know…"

"It wasn't that," he interrupted. "Really. The way you've been treated does upset me, and the Other Guy, but when I got angry this time… it felt different. There was no buildup, no struggle. All of a sudden I was furious, and before I'd only been mildly disturbed."

"Why do you think that was?"

"I dunno… it felt like someone was forcing me to Hulk out."

I finally looked up, watching his face. "But they can't do that can they? I mean, besides anger and fear for your personal safety, there hasn't been a physical trigger that's been discovered has there?" I was getting a very bad feeling about this.

"No, not that we've been able to find." He finally looked up, seeing the worried look on my face. "What is it?"

"It's just… Loki tried to manipulate you last time…"

"Oh no," he groaned, running one hand over his face. "I hate being the pawn."

"We'll figure it out." I assured him. "Hopefully we'll get some answers from Odin."

He smiled shyly at me. I felt a tug somewhere in my body as I smiled back. This was not good.

0oOo0

In the end, it was me, Tony and Thor who were sitting on the roof with a jumbo-sized container of gummy bears and a truly fantastic joint.

"Hey Tony," I said, looking out over the field instead of looking at my friend, "How did you know that you were in love with Pepper?"

"I dunno," he replied in a slightly higher voice than normal. "I just looked at her one day and realised that I couldn't live without her."

"You're romantic when you're high," I giggled.

"Yeah, there's a sentiment that'll go over well with Pepper," he snorted and they tittered together.

I was thinking about Bruce again. Perhaps I should have invited him up here? Maybe one good hit would mellow the Other Guy out. But that would have been awkward, and I wouldn't be able to pump Tony for information about what you did when you like someone. I was completely overwhelmed by that tug in my stomach I'd felt that afternoon. I vowed to do my best to repress it.

"I DO NOT SEEM TO BE AFFECTED BY THIS POT," Thor called loudly, his high making him far louder than usual. "PERHAPS MY ASGUARDIAN PHYSIOLOGY PREVENTS ME FROM THIS 'HIGH' OF WHICH YOU SPEAK."

"SHH!" I giggled. Marijuana always made me into a seventeen year old girl, all giggles and flirty remarks. "You're going to get us caught, Thor, shut up!"

"This is amazing! You guys gotta try this!" Tony cried. He had a red gummy bear up to his left eye with the right one squeezed shut, and was looking through the gelatin towards the sky. "Seriously, it's so—oof!" he fell from his seat onto his back. "What did they cut this with, ecstasy?"

"Handle your shit, Stark," I laughed, laying down beside him. "Thor, where's Asgard from here?"

I was nearly crushed as Thor lay his massive frame down between Tony and I. "ASGARD IS IN THIS DIRECTION. NO… PERHAPS IT IS IN THIS DIRECTION… WHY DO YOU HUMANS CALL THIS SUBSTANCE POT? IS THIS IT'S NAME? THERE ARE NO POTS INVOLVED."

"There probably is when it's being grown," I reasoned. "But it's just a nickname. It's actually called marijuana, or THC."

"MARIJUANA. WHAT AN EXCELLENT WORD. WHEN WE GET TO ASGARD, WE WILL HAVE A GREAT FEAST WITH ASGARDIAN MEAD. AS SON OF BARTON ONCE SAID TO ME, 'IT WILL FUCK YOU UP'."

Of course, Tony and I would have found this funny while sober, but high it was hysterical. We rolled around on the rooftop in peals of laughter while the god of thunder asked us what he had said to bring on 'THESE TEARS OF MIRTH'.

It was late when I got in—Tony and I had to half carry Thor to his room after the big baby decided to end his high with a nap from which he refused to be completely woken. Once he got on his feet, Thor wrapped one arm around each of our necks as support, but nearly strangled the both of us. After dragging the massive man down the back stairwell, we flopped him on the floor in his room and left him snoring.

With a workout and a come-down under my belt, I stripped out of my clothes and lay down, and was asleep within seconds.

0oOo0

Of course, the next morning I overslept. I awoke to someone sitting on the edge of my bed and gently shaking my shoulder.

"Wha—" I groaned, raising my head to look at who was bothering me. Bruce had an amused look on his face and a coffee mug in his hand.

"Here," he said quietly, offering me the mug. "Steve made it, it'll be strong."

"Ugh, good." I moaned, rolling over onto my back and propping myself up on one elbow to take a sip. It was ungodly, the horrible high-octane stuff that made me wince, but I knew it would help.

"So what were you up to last night?" he asked. I convinced myself I imagined the wary hurt he was feeling.

"Tony and Thor and I got wondrously high," I answered. "Why?"

"Well… Tony looks like shit and no one's seen Thor, not even Jane. It wasn't hard to put the pieces together." He ducked his head down and ran one hand through his hair. "Catharine, should we talk… about yesterday?"

"I guess," I flopped back down flat, throwing my free arm over my eyes. Bruce chuckled, his gaze fixing on the floor.

"Okay, so. You and I…"

"We had sex. It was really good sex. It would be irresponsible to think that it won't happen again." I summed up.

"That pretty much covers it." He replied. "Wait, we'll do it again?"

"I see no reason why not." I finally looked up at him. "Unless you don't want to."

"No, no, I… I do, I suppose I just didn't think _you'd_ want to. I mean, yesterday was spontaneous, I wouldn't have blamed you if it was just a… fluke."

"A fluke." I said in disbelief. "Oh Bruce, it's a good thing we're going to be spending more time together, because you certainly aren't very good at this." He blushed and I laughed. "You wouldn't want to… fluke right now, would you?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, that wasn't why I came in here, but…"

"But?" I smiled, putting my mug on the bedside cabinet. "Give me two minutes," I got up and went into the bathroom, only coming out when I didn't smell of pot and morning breath. With a small grin, I saw that Bruce had rearranged himself so he sat against my headboard. I sat on the other side of the bed and faced him with an expectant look. Bruce smirked and leaned toward me, brushing his lips against mine. With a sigh I leaned into him further, allowing the kiss to heat up as we both slowly explored more of the other.

I moaned when Bruce tangled his fingers in my hair and ran his tongue along my bottom lip. He was so sweet—I could feel his anxiety and his nervousness about doing this with me a second time. "We can go slowly if you want," I assured, pressing my lips back to his and allowing his tongue inside. We both let out a sigh, as if relieved we could do this and still be good at it the second time around.

"I think it might be best to go slow," he said when we came up for air. "Just to make sure…"

"We'll be fine," I assured him, reaching for the buttons on his shirt. I was already basically naked, as I'd fallen asleep in a black tank top and my panties from the night before, and I was beginning to think Bruce was overdressed. The pile of clothes at the side of my bed got bigger and bigger, finally topped off with Bruce's glasses, which I dropped on top of his discarded trousers.

"We'd better be able to find those later," He teased me as I was rolled underneath him.

"Let's talk about it after," I returned, pulling him closer and hooking one leg around his. Bruce smiled and bent to kiss my hickey, which was still a mottled purple.

"I really am sorry about that," he whispered, tracing it with his tongue. I smiled and ran my fingers through his hair.

"It doesn't matter," I replied, "We were both caught up."

He made a noise of agreement and peeled my top off me. Things were progressing, slowly like I'd promised, and then Tony waltzed into my room uninvited.

"Okay princess, it's time to get up, you—OH MOTHER OF FUCK!" He screamed, covering his eyes. "Oh it burns!"

"Tony, what the— oh…" Natasha had evidently heard the commotion and joined him.

"Sacre—knock much?" I shrieked, pulling my discarded covers over Bruce and I, concerned by the alarming shade of red he was turning.

"What's going on?" Barton asked, standing behind Nat. "Oh, damn."

Bruce rolled off me and pulled the sheet so it covered my chest. "Yes, please, by all means, let's invite more people into this!" I cried. "Tony, stop screaming!" I yelled.

The billionaire, who was crouched against the wall just inside the door with his hands over his eyes wailing, looked up at me.

"Cath, you don't under_stand_—I just saw my friend's _buuutt. _And maybe a small flash of junk. That is _not_ cool. We're gonna need to see If there's anything in the bro code about this, dude." He groaned, wrenching himself up and stalking toward the labs.

Natasha looked at us a moment longer before herding Barton out of the room. "We'll give you a moment to get dressed. Agent Coulson's called a meeting."

After the Widow had shut the door, I looked over at where Bruce was collapsed against the pillow in crippling embarrassment.

I sighed. "Well, shit."

**And **_**where**_** has Agent Coulson been this whole time? On a mission for Fury, of course! Next chapter has a cameo from TWO fellow Marvel canons! No peeking at the Thanos story line, but guesses? I give out substantial brownie points!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I paraphrase a line from the brilliant sci-fi show **_**Sanctuary**_** in this chapter. It's brilliant, please watch it.**

**Also, to my1alias, my faithful reviewer: Catharine and Matt haven't done it, but that would be an interesting AU of an AU, wouldn't it? Also, she gets the brownie points because she guessed the Marvel alums who'll be gracing us with their presence this chapter. ENJOY!**

After Bruce and I were dressed, we left my room and headed for Fury's private conference room. It was soundproof, and only those with the code could enter. When Bruce and I approached, Tony was standing in the doorway with Natasha. Nat did _not_ look happy, and moved farther into the room when she saw us. Tony blocked the door and looked at us uncomfortably.

"Um, I should have… knocked. I definitely should have…"

"Yes you should." Bruce nodded, turning pink again before ducking around Tony and going to find a seat.

Tony faced me and I put on the coldest expression I could. "Not. One. Word." I growled.

"Of course. I wouldn't tell anyone, especially not _Mom_," he gestured over his shoulder toward Fury, sitting at the head of the table.

"Thank you, Tony." I whispered.

We entered the conference room, and I noticed Coulson, Hill and Fury sitting with a beautiful blonde woman and an older dark haired man with grey at his temples. He reminded me of Bruce a little; quiet and unassuming but attractive, his hair mussed and with a trace of chalk on the cuff of his sweater.

"Agent Coulson," I greeted with a nod, sitting between Bruce and Steve. "We've not seen you for a few days."

"I've been in New York City," he replied, looking to Fury.

"Avengers, this is Dr Reed Richards and his wife, Susan Storm." Fury gestured to the couple. "Agent Coulson was charged with convincing them to join us on our journey to Asgard."

"Surely we do not need assistance," Thor said, looking around the table at us. "The Avengers are capable warriors on their own."

"Indeed you are, Thor, but Dr Richards and Ms Storm have previous experience in space travel, though the circumstances of their experience may not be deemed successful." He smiled. Well, he smiled as much as I've ever seen Fury smile, which is what most people would call a smirk.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand," I said. I had apparently been with Mossad too long; I'd missed all the really interesting news stories while interrogating terrorists and foreign operatives.

Dr Richards smiled shyly at me and then reached across the table to shake my hand. His arm elongated, stretching across the long expanse of polished maple between us.

I laughed, shaking the doctor's hand in amazement. "Magnifique!" I looked to Ms Storm. She simply looked down and then disappeared, the only evidence she was still in her chair being her clothes. "This is amazing. You say this happened in space?"

"Yes, the result of radiation from the Van Allen Belts." Dr Richards explained.

"That is far more impressive than it looks on the news," Barton observed as Ms Storm reappeared.

"Speaking of your news coverage," Tony added, "Aren't you usually four? You know, as in 'The Fantastic'?" I could feel his petulance, and shared a smirk with Bruce.

Ms Storm rolled her eyes. "Johnny and Ben are at Comicon," she smiled. "Johnny goes to sign autographs, and because of all the cosplayers it's one of the few places Ben feels like he fits in." Seeing my blank look, she explained, "Johnny, my little brother, is known as the Human Torch. He can become engulfed in fire on demand. Ben Grimm's skin was transformed as a result of the radiation, and now resembles a large rock formation."

"Incredible."

"_That's_ Ben Grimm?" Bruce asked in quiet surprise. "He came to some people's rescue when The Other Guy broke Harlem."

"Indeed he did," Richards nodded. "I happen to know he was rather impressed with you, Dr Banner; not many people best him for strength."

"So, they're coming with us? Half of the Fantastic Four?" Natasha asked. She didn't seem averse to the idea, but I could tell she was slightly insulted by the fact that The Avengers didn't warrant all of the crime-fighting team.

"I think so," Storm nodded. "Your Agent Coulson was very convincing." She gave the man in question a hard look, and Phil had the good grace to look ashamed.

"You were needed," Fury shrugged. "Now, Dr Selvig; are we ready to try a start-up?"

"Yes Director," Eric replied, getting up. "Mr Stark, Dr Banner, Dr Richards, if you'd like to come with me. The rest of you will be watching from the surveillance camera." The four men left the room, and we all crowded around the various screens set into the conference table. I ended up pressed between Steve, who looked rather ill, and Darcy, who was practically bouncing.

"I take it you are coming with us, Darcy?" I asked wryly.

The brunette nodded. "Yes—Jane said she couldn't face Thor's parents without me." She said proudly. Thor scoffed from his spot at the next screen. "Roll your eyes all you want, Big Guy, meeting the parents is tough enough when you're not dating a demigod."

"Miss Lewis," Fury scolded, narrowing his good eye at her. Darcy shut up, leaning further over my shoulder to watch the first test run of the Midgard.

"Initiating start-up protocols," Selvig's voice said over the monitors.

"Orbitor Test Conductors coming on line," Richards' voice replied. "I'm going to the Prime Firing Room as we speak."

"Rocket booster stats look good," Tony observed.

Bruce came over the microphones next. "The external tanks are all showing levels in the green."

"Liftoff should be next, director," Eric said.

"Proceed gentlemen." Fury replied.

"Man all consoles," Eric ordered, and there was the sound of footsteps and switches being flicked on.

"I've got console one from here," Richards said.

"Consoles two and three covered," Bruce said.

"Consoles four and five covered," Tony called back next.

"I've got six and seven. Let's countdown to lift off, gentlemen, shall we?" Eric asked. "Ullr, you've got the comm.."

Ullr's deep voice came over the PA, "Certainly Dr Selvig. MMT Systems are clear of problems, proceed."

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five," we felt the whole building begin to rumble as the hatch above the spacecraft chamber pulled back like the roof at Wimbledon, and the thrusters clicked on. "Four, three, two, one, pulling up for test flight one."

Jane looked up from where she stood beside Thor and Mr Storm and looked out the window. "They've got lift off," she grinned. We all turned to watch the newly modified hellicarrier, now equipped with Asgard technology capable of getting us to what was left of the bifrost, turned on its shields and lifted off into the sky.

"We'll only go out into what you call the Mesosphere, Director," Freya said in her elegant, controlled voice. "It is approximately fifty miles up, and will not make the firing of the external tanks."

"Very well. Everything looks good from down here," Fury said, looking to Hill for confirmation. She gave a tight smile and nodded in return. "We'll anxiously await your return."

0oOo0

After the initial excitement of the Midgard's takeoff, we all went back to work. The boys would probably be out for a while, and we all had packing to do.

I spent an hour helping Jane and Darcy pack up all the equipment she thought she'd need to help out in Asgard. Since there was only a single block of labs in the hellicarrier, we needed to streamline what we'd need.

Bruce and Tony entered after we'd finished piling equipment by the door to be transferred to the Midgard. I looked up and met Bruce's eye—there was a tense moment where Tony looked from me to Bruce and back again, while Jane and Darcy stared in confusion at the sudden tension in the air.

"So… how's it goin'?" Tony asked, going to pick up a box full of barometers and radiosondes. "We'll help you carry this stuff down to the ship, won't we Banner?"

"Uh… yeah, sure. Of course." Bruce nodded, picking up some tall anemometers on stilts and waiting for me to precede him out of the room. While Jane and Darcy were busy walking on ahead, organising notebooks and files for their new filing cabinet, he whispered to me, "What did you say to Tony?"

"Nothing overly terrifying. Why?" I whispered back.

"He's been too nice since he… caught… you know… I just thought maybe you'd threatened him with one of your less humane torture methods." He was leaning in toward me, eyes down and a small smile on his lips.

I laughed. "No, I just told him, very seriously, that he'd better not say anything about what he saw this morning. And he said he wouldn't tell Mom."

Bruce smiled wider. "Good to know. Are you nervous about Asgard?"

"Excited is more like," I replied. "I love a good adventure."

"That explains a lot." His smile took on an ironic quality.

"You forget that I can sense your emotions, Bruce," I said. "If you think that the… fluke was out of some abhorrent desire to bait The Hulk, then you're mistaken."

We approached the elevator behind Tony and the girls. "Why, then?" he asked hoarsely. With all of us crowded into the elevator, I just smiled instead of answering.

**A/N 2: I stopped here because I wanted to ask all of you for your opinion. On the evening before they're set to leave, I wanted to give the Avengers and Co a night out. Either the group go and get trashy with some small-town locals, or Darcy can demand that Tony summon his private jet to take them clubbing in NYC. Any other suggestions as to activities are more than welcome.**

**A/N 3: I'd just like to point out at this time that in a NASA launch team there are 11 individuals, but they are not superheroes. However they are astronauts, so close enough. I had to do a LOT of reading about spacecraft to write this, so I hope you appreciate the authenticity (:P) and realise that I am not an engineer, but a writer with an over active imagination. **

**Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm will probably appear later in the story, but they do not go on the adventure in Thanos canon, so I left them out for now.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay, holy long chapter Batman! I was hoping to get them to Asgard by the end of this, but they took over my brain and I couldn't just let poor Bruce and Catharine wallow in UST for too long. Hence, again we end with nudity.**

Over the next two days, we spent more and more time on the Midgard, reorganising files and moving into labs and offices. We all transferred our belongings from the rooms in the S.H.I.E.L.D building into the personnel wing in the ship. Tony, Jane, Bruce, Eric and Richards got new labs, all on the third floor below the carrier surface. All of the offices were one floor above. I was situated between Susan Storm's office and Jane's which Darcy was going to use as her own since it was unlikely Jane would be using it.

I liked Darcy; though she was nearly a decade younger than me, we liked some of the same music and were both a bit awed by the intellect of our friends in the lab downstairs. Often the two of us ended up watching in trance-like boredom as the others conducted tests and experiments, while we just struggled to stay afloat.

"Hey, what was up with you and Tony and Banner the other day? Do we have a scary genius love-triangle going on? And why isn't Pepper involved? Is she not your type?" I could hear and feel the glee she felt at teasing me.

"What? Darcy!" I cried, laughing in spite of myself. "No, there's no love triangle. It was just a tense situation from earlier. Tony said something he shouldn't have said, and Bruce and I were terribly embarrassed."

"Uh huh. And this has nothing to do with the fact that you and Banner have been doing the dirty dance with no pants and Tony caught you?"

"DARCY! That's overly crude. And how did you know?"

Darcy smirked. "I purple nurpled Tony till he spilled the beans."

"Then why did you ask if you already knew?"

"I wanted to see if you would tell me."

I scoffed. "Of course I wouldn't. But, since you already know, I don't see any point in continuing the charade."

"Good girl. Now, what's Dr Banner like in the sack?" my younger friend grinned, the tip of her tongue between her teeth.

"DARCY!" It seemed lately all I was doing was crying out in alarm. "I'm NOT going to tell you that!"

"Fine. I'll just go back to my office then, and not give you half of the brownie I saved from lunch."

My stomach growled and I sighed. I hadn't eaten since breakfast, missing lunch entirely.

"Ugh. Go get your brownie and close the damned door."

Darcy fist pumped. "Yes!" she hissed. I sighed. Perhaps confiding in Darcy Lewis, queen of the tazer gun, was not my most well-thought-out decision. But Natasha was never the type to kiss and tell, and I was _really_ hungry.

0oOo0

"ASSEMBLE!" Darcy's scream echoed in the peaceful hallway. We all rushed into the hallway from our various offices and layout rooms, assuming there was some sort of crisis. I looked around the group and saw that everyone seemed to be just as confused as I was. Darcy, however, looked supremely pleased with herself. She was dressed up in a pair of shiny black pumps and a navy blue cocktail dress which showed off her…assets to the greatest advantage. I could feel the curiosity rise in the room, as well as almost feel the eyes of every man in the room checking Darcy out. She didn't seem to mind.

"All right you losers, this is our last night on Earth. Now, I'm not a super genius like some of you—" Tony raised his hand and Steve smacked him in the stomach. "So I'm scared as hell about this little space trip. When we pass through the Earth's atmosphere, I want to be hung over, preferably wearing nothing but my makeup from the night before and my Captain America boxer shorts." We all looked at Steve, who was blushing right up to his roots. "Now, Tony will summon one of his private jets to take us to Manhattan. We will be chauffeured wherever we want until we are good and drunk, then the plane will bring us back here before Fury knows anything about it."

"You really think Fury won't check on us?" Nat asked.

"Nope. He said we should all get a good night's sleep. He made it an order. As long as he sees the labs dark, he won't ever know."

We all stared at each other, surprised at Darcy's rather well-thought-out plan.

"I'm in." Pepper said. Darcy bumped fists with her.

"Well if she's going I'm going," Tony sighed.

"As if that's really a hardship," I scoffed.

"It's hard looking this good all the time." He shrugged.

"Well, let's get out of here before I change my mind." Barton sighed.

"You aren't going like _that_, are you?" Darcy looked around at all of us, and we in turn looked at each other. I thought we looked all right; mostly just trousers and shirts that were looking a little creased now. Of course Nat had her uniform on, same with Barton, but it was black and fit well, I didn't see a problem.

"… No?" Thor said. He was surprisingly astute sometimes, for a man who didn't know what whole wheat bread was.

"Damn right no!" Darcy looked to Pepper for support. The red head nodded resolutely. "Go get changed immediately. You have fifteen minutes."

0oOo0

I was slipping into the only cocktail dress I'd brought with me—technically I'd never worn it for cocktails _or_ for clubbing, but it would do—when there was a knock on the door.

"Just a second!" I called, twisting to zip myself up. When I opened the door, Steve was standing there looking embarrassed. I could also feel how nervous and uncomfortable he was—I put some of that down to knocking on my door, but some of it was definitely due to the jeans he was wearing. "Captain."

"Just Steve, please." He smiled a little. "I was wondering if you could… um…" he mumbled the last part of his request and shuffled.

"Pardon?"

"If you would show me how to…dance."

"Oh… well, perhaps Pepper is more suited to this task."

"You're the only one who doesn't have a boyfriend in their room right now. Well, aside from Darcy, but she's a bit of a prankster. I don't trust her."

I chuckled. "In that case, please come in Steve." I stepped back and closed the door behind him. Our rooms were fairly small, but there was a space to move in and it wasn't as though we were going to be doing the jitterbug. "Let me find something we might conceivably hear tonight," I said, scanning through my iPod to find something modern with lyrics that wouldn't give him an aneurism. Settling on 'The Sweet Escape', I plugged into my docking station. "The skill level required has gone down some since your day," I began, taking both Steve's hands in mine. I pulled him closer, setting one on my waist.

"This is familiar." Steve said. I nodded. "What do we do now?"

I showed him how to sway me around the room, keeping time with the bass. Once he had that mastered, I added a turn to the mix, and showed him how to spin me out and back close to his body.

There was a knock on the door, and I called out "Come in!" as Steve spun me out then pulled me back against his chest. I laughed.

Bruce entered my room and stopped dead at the sight of us.

"What's going on?"

I stopped dancing as I felt the anger that always bubbled inside of him rise. "Steve was worried about dancing tonight, so I was giving him an impromptu lesson."

I saw a vein in Bruce's neck stick out. Steve picked up on it too. "Are you all right, Banner?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine… could you give us a minute Steve?" Now it was Bruce who was shuffling awkwardly in my doorway.

"Of course. Thank you Catharine." Captain America nodded to me and left, closing the door behind him. There was a tense silence once we were alone.

"Is everything all right?" I finally asked. Bruce nodded distractedly."Then why are you upset?"

"I'm not upset."

"Bruce—empath." I pointed to myself. "I can feel it. Why are you so—are you worried about Steve?"

"Steve," Bruce scoffed. "Now he's Steve?"

"He asked me to call him by his given name." I defended. "And I don't see why you're so upset about a little dance. You didn't say anything when Clint and I were dancing."

Bruce rolled his eyes. "That's because everyone and his cousin knows about him and Natasha! I have no reason to worry about him."

"And you have reason to 'worry' about Steve?" I was getting fed up with this, and turned away to find my shoes. "Rubbish."

"It isn't—Steve is… he's practically an innocent. But he's tall and blonde and honourable."

"And he's probably still a virgin," I concluded. "Steve is a sweet man, but I have no intention of popping Captain America's cherry."

"Popping his cherry?" I felt his amusement as well as observed the quivering of his lip into a smile.

"I heard it in a song and looked it up." I said, going to my bathroom mirror to run my fingers through my hair and apply some lipstick. "So, are you through with the anger?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you." I smiled at him in the mirror. "You look… very nice."

I fought my blush as I looked away. "Thank you." My dress was simple enough, nude coloured silk hanging loosely just below my collar bone and falling above my knees. I'd paired it with some matching shoes and my favourite pearl earrings dangled from my ears. I'd felt good before Bruce came in, but now he'd noticed me I felt that familiar tightening again.

I suspected Tony or Pepper had some hand in dressing Bruce this evening, as he was wearing jeans, which I'd never seen him wear before, a plain black button-up and matching suit jacket. _Good enough to eat,_ I thought, then groaned mentally. This repression business was proving difficult. "Shall we go? We're pushing the fifteen minute time limit Darcy imposed upon us."

"We should. I'm more scared of Darcy than I am of alien invasion."

I laughed and we left my room together. Tony and Pepper were coming toward us from the other end of the hall. Tony looked smug.

"Was he zipping you or unzipping you?" he asked me. Pepper and I both rolled our eyes.

"Honestly Tony, not everyone used their fifteen minutes for a quickie." Realising what she'd just admitted, the redhead blushed.

"I'm just saying. I accidentally cock blocked him a few days ago, so he might be feeling a little tense."

"I'm fine Tony, thank you for your concern." Bruce looked like he just wanted to disappear through the floor. Pepper and Tony continued on and we followed them. "Maybe I shouldn't come tonight." He whispered to me. "Crowds and noise and alcohol…"

"No," I said firmly. "If I had to make myself up in fifteen minutes, then you can make it one evening out in public. We all make sacrifices."

0oOo0

Tony of course broke out the champagne the second his jet was in the air. We'd walked out into the field a little to board the plane, just to make sure Fury didn't hear it land. Once in Manhattan, Happy picked us up in the limo and we travelled to Tony's favourite night club.

There was no sign above the door, only the silhouette of a stag and a doe. Tony led us all confidently into the fray of patrons, bouncers and press, gripping Pepper's hand as not to lose her. In the crush, I wrapped my hand around Bruce's arm. Paparazzi shouted questions from the sidewalk.

"Mr Stark, how is the sustainable energy project coming?"

"Is it true you're all together again because of another intergalactic threat?"

"Mr Stark, Senator Keating has made claims that The Avengers exist for the sole purpose of upsetting public order. Do you have any comments?"

Tony ignored them all, so we followed suit. I could feel Natasha tense up behind my left shoulder at the mention of an intergalactic threat, and I knew she wanted to break away and interrogate that man until he told her how he got that information. However, Clint gripped her elbow and steered her toward the door, whispering something that made her shrug.

The positively mammoth bouncer at the door just nodded and let us in—I suppose it really does pay to go places with a billionaire superhero. When we got inside it was dimly lit, hot, and fairly crowded. Thor, being the tallest of the group, spied an open table in the VIP section. Of course, he didn't understand the concept of VIP, so he just charged over to it, nearly running over another bouncer. The large guard looked about ready to toss him out when he saw Thor was with Tony Stark. With a displeased expression he let us in and we shuffled chairs so all thirteen of us would fit. Almost immediately a scantily clad waitress came over with complimentary champagne. Darcy and Tony, who were conversing very seriously, finally decided to order a round of tequila.

"A toast," Tony called over the music, "To our newest 'adventure', if that's what you want to call it, and may we kick this Thanos guy's ass all the way to Nilfheim."

"You have been conducting research, Son of Howard," Thor said with a grin.

"Well, there was only so much to do the past couple weeks. Eventually I was bored enough to _read_."

"Shocking." I smiled.

"It is." Pepper assured.

When the tequila arrived, I noticed Bruce staring warily at his. I knew he wasn't much for alcohol, and that he'd not consumed as much as the rest of us on the plane or in the limo.

"Everything all right?" I asked, pitching my voice lower so I didn't have to scream to be heard over the music.

Bruce nodded. "I'm just not sure if my control will slip if I… over indulge."

"I'm sure it'll be all right—after all, The Other Guy should have a good time tonight too. It's loud, dark, and fairly chaotic." I pointed to the dance floor, where a few dozen people were dancing, pressed up against each other in the small space.

"What makes you think he won't want to come out if he's having fun?" Bruce asked.

"Nothing, I suppose. But the odds are in favour of fun, since you're always so busy trying to repress him you never have any. So have a good time tonight Bruce, and we'll think about whether this was a bad idea in the morning." I winked at him and downed my shot. After a moment he seemed to throw caution to the wind and follow suit.

"Ooh!" Darcy cried, bouncing in her seat as the opening notes of 'I Wanna Sex You Up' pounded out. She jumped up, taking Pepper and Jane by their hands and pulling them toward the dance floor with her. When Jane tried to beg off, she pouted, "Please?"

Jane rolled her eyes and looked at me and Natasha, who were trying to look busy. Darcy took her meaning and grabbed us as well. Most of Earth's Mightiest Heroes found this incredibly amusing, especially Thor, and I sent a dirty look their way as we were herded toward the mass of people dancing.

I might not have been pleased about being forced out of my chair, but I secretly love to dance. As soon as we got out there, I began to forget about Thanos, and Asgard, and Bruce being ticked at me earlier in the evening. I was out with actual, breathing girls, and I didn't have to do reconnaissance while I was at it. This was a first.

From my spot in our group, I could see Tony ordering more drinks and Steve looking supremely uncomfortable. Bruce was staring down at the table, and Matt was staring in the direction of the DJ's set up, bouncing one foot to the music. Clint, it appeared, had gotten tired of just sitting, so he got up and joined us. He began spinning me and Nat around the floor, wiggling his hips in a way I didn't know a straight man could. I had to give Darcy her props—this had been a good idea.

One dance turned into two, and then I begged off, taking Jane with me back to our table. Sue had dragged Reed out in our place, so Jane and I fell back into our seats. Tony had very thoughtfully ordered us drinks.

I stared at him suspiciously. "You didn't put acid in these did you?"

He grinned. "The last thing I need is to drug you all and have six very pissed off women to deal with tomorrow."

"You'd only drug the girls?" Matt asked. "That seems a little sexist."

Jane stared at him. "That's all you saw wrong with that conversation? What is wrong with you?" Matt just laughed.

Eventually I got Steve onto the dance floor by requesting the song we'd practiced to in my room, 'The Sweet Escape'. While I wanted Steve to feel like he belonged, I also felt the need to bait Bruce a little bit. Perhaps not my best strategy, but I'd had three glasses of champagne, two shots of tequila and a mojito.

Steve was a quick learner, and I enjoyed dancing with him; it was a welcome change from the men who would try to cop a feel during a dance.

As the crowds grew and the Captain got more uncomfortable, I traded dance partners. Jane wasn't very into dancing and Thor was eager to learn, so he and I took to the floor. I'm sure it looked ridiculous, the mammoth god of thunder spinning me about; even craning my neck up, I could only see up his nose.

A slower song started and people started to pull together in couples. Pepper had finally gotten Tony out of his seat, and they were a few feet away from us.

"Lady Catharine, will you instruct me in this music also?" Thor asked. "All of the songs of this cadence in Asgard are ballads for fallen heroes, and are not meant to be danced to."

"Of course, Thor—just promise me that you'll dance with Jane, yes? Girls like the men in their lives to ask them to dance."

"Of course Lady Catharine. But if your observation is true, why has not Banner claimed your hand?" I nearly choked on air.

"What?"

"Darcy told me on the Stark flying machine that you and Banner sat together for the same reason Lady Jane and myself sit together—and Lady Jane and I have an understanding."

"Oh, no, Darcy was just being… well, she was overestimating any relationship we might have. There's nothing going on."

"I see. This dancing to slow music is most simple, Lady Catharine! I enjoy the time it gives us to talk."

I grinned, shaking my head. Sometimes people, namely S.H.I.E.L.D agents, assumed that Thor was stupid because of his naiveté concerning Earth cultures, but he wasn't—he was just uninformed and eager to learn. It occurred to me that once we reached Asgard, we would more than likely need everything explained to us, too.

I saw a hand reach around and tap Thor on the shoulder. Before he even turned, I could feel who it was.

"Friend Banner! Have you come to claim Lady Catharine for a dance?"

"Um… yes, Thor, if you don't mind."

Thor shrugged and released me, making his way back to Jane. Bruce and I stared at one another for a few seconds before he stepped forward and took one of my hands in his, wrapping the other one around my waist. He looked nervous, which I found at once sweet and hilarious—the man had seen me naked, and he'd touched me in much more intimate places than that, hard enough to leave bruises, but he was concerned about dancing with me. I stepped in a little closer so we didn't look too awkward.

"Are you going to ask me to stay away from Thor now?" I asked idly. "Because he's got someone already."

"You could take Jane, if you wanted to," he said back, and I could tell he was joking.

"Honestly Bruce I don't know what you want from me—I don't go about sleeping with everyone and anyone. You need to trust your friends."

"I do, it's just… the Other Guy," He muttered in my ear.

"What about him?"

"I can feel him in my head." He confided. "Sometimes when I'm upset or… jealous… the Other Guy makes his opinions known. Sometimes what he thinks comes out of my mouth."

"So you were jealous? Of Thor and of Steve?" I was surprised to hear it—we were friends, of course, but more colleagues, who'd had sex once. I didn't think being sex friends would cause the Other Guy to form such an attachment. I found that I didn't mind, not the way I had minded when a man got attached to me in the past.

Bruce nodded. "It's weird, I know."

"No… well, yes, but not wholly unreasonable. The Other Guy is fiercely protective, yes? He saved Tony's life. It's only natural that once you and I got to know each other… intimately… that he would assume a sort of bond between us." The song ended and Bruce led me back to the table, one hand on my back.

We returned to S.H.I.E.L.D a few hours before sunrise, most of us girls carrying our shoes and all of us ambling drunkenly amongst the knee-high corn stalks. We'd obviously be spotted the second we breached the proximity sensors, but Darcy giggled and said it didn't matter, that she had the security agents on duty 'in her pocket'. I hoped that meant she'd bribed them with lime starbursts and not with photos of her in her Captain America boxer shorts. Once we were inside, the couples toddled off in twos, and Matthew and Darcy bid me a slightly slurred goodnight. Once we were alone, I turned to Bruce.

"Well um, should we…" he gestured to my room vaguely. I smiled.

"Everyone else is getting laid right now… if we didn't turn to each other, it would almost be…"

"Inconsiderate?" he supplied.

"Exactly."

Bruce just laughed and shook his head. "Well, we wouldn't want that."

I smiled and turned my back to him. "Unzip me?"

I shivered as his fingers brushed the back of my neck, reaching for my zipper. He pulled the slider down, revealing my back all the way down to the tops of my panties. I looked over my shoulder at him as I unlocked my door. Leaving it open, I stepped out of my dress and left it in a silk puddle on the floor. Now just in my heels and under things, I turned to Bruce.

"You should get in here, before someone walks by and sees me. The Other Guy wouldn't like that." I removed my earrings and set them on the bedside cabinet. In a flash Bruce had entered the room and locked the door behind him. While I was turned away from him, he unfastened my bra and let the light pink straps fall down my shoulders. I discarded it, leaning my back against his chest as he kissed my neck and shoulder. His left hand settled possessively over my belly button, pressing me to him tighter.

Eventually I got tired of this passive position and turned in his arms, working loose the buttons on his shirt. Once he was divested of the garment, I leaned in and kissed lightly behind his ear and at the hinge of his jaw while I worked at the button on his trousers. He groaned as I dragged my teeth along his pulse.

We fell onto the bed and Bruce sat up, pulling my shoes off one by one and then going to remove my underwear. They were light pink and silky, and matched my bra. He ran his fingers over them before deciding to pull them off. I lifted my hips for him and moaned. Quickly removing his own boxers, he stretched himself over me with a smirk.

"Don't look so smug," I breathed as he moved to kiss down my chest. "It's not attractive."

"Mhm," Bruce replied unconcernedly, kissing the underside of one breast before moving across to the other. I scoffed, unable to maintain my annoyance. One of my hands gripped at his hip and the other was draped over his shoulder. I was digging my fingernails into his back again, but I suspected he didn't mind. In fact, that was probably one of the things that endeared me to The Other Guy.

All of my musings about my relationship with the Hulk stopped as Bruce slid into me. We were going slow, like I'd promised the last time. We moved against each other, the hair on his chest tickling my breasts. Everything got progressively more heated, and then I saw white flash behind my eyes as I climaxed. Seriously, what was it with these orgasms? They were unlike anything I'd ever felt.

Bruce followed me over, collapsing on top of me. I threw my arms out to the side, while one foot rubbed up and down his calf.

Once we'd recovered our breath, he rolled onto his side facing me and let me use his arm as a pillow.

"No interruptions," he commented idly.

I laughed. "Good thing you locked the door."

"THAT WOULDN'T STOP ME!" Tony yelled from the room next door. Bruce and I looked at each other; apparently the walls weren't as thick as we'd assumed.

**Author's Notes: I never identify the song that Bruce and Catharine dance to, but I was thinking about 'Behold the Hurricane' by The Horrible Crowes or 'Of Whom Shall I Be Afraid' by Jim Byrnes. Both of them are lovely.**

**I also have this vision of Tony, Pepper and Darcy in the room next to theirs, listening as the wall with water glasses, like in the Friends episode where they go to Bermuda.**

**Reviewers Assemble? :D**


	11. Chapter 11

**Alrighty, boys and girls, there is a small bit of M-ness in this chapter, as well as something we've not had before: Bruce POV! I'm not sure I like how his bit turned out, but I couldn't rewrite it anymore.**

I woke up the next morning on my stomach, with something tickling along my hips and backside. I opened my eyes to see Bruce wide awake and tracing the bruises from our first time. He wasn't watching my face, so I figured that he didn't know I was awake.

"Hi."

He looked up into my eyes, and smiled distractedly. I could already tell he was beating himself up over the finger marks all over my body. They had faded now to a mottled purple, but I had always been pathetically pale, even given my time in Israel—my work was indoors, after all, and I barely ever had to leave the Mossad complex.

"Don't," I whispered, gently batting his hand away. "There's nothing to be worried about. Everything you did I wanted."

"Everything?" he eyed my backside and my thighs, where there was a perfect imprint of all five fingers from when he held me against the wall.

"Everything." I assured. "I've never done anything like that before—not even on a mission. It was… exciting."

"You're delusional." Bruce shook his head.

"We've had this discussion already. I'm not being foolish and I'm not crazy. Well, not clinically anyway. And I think out of all the women you know, I am uniquely qualified to handle you."

"Handle me?" Bruce sat up on one elbow and raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, as in _handle_…" I sat up on my elbow too, letting my right hand trail a path down his chest and under the sheet that covered us.

"Ah, that kind of handle," he breathed, closing his eyes and rolling onto his back. I took advantage of that, moving to sit astride him and leaning over to whisper in his ear.

"I'm not much for morning after sex—usually I'm too busy finding my clothes and running for the door."

Bruce chuckled and ran his calloused hands up my back. "This is your room."

"So? I could have kicked _you_ out," I replied smugly.

"Why didn't you then?" He leaned up and tucked my hair behind my ear. The move was gentle and I felt genuine alarm at how sweet he was being.

"I suppose I don't mind keeping you around," I replied vaguely. Before we could get any further than heavy petting, an open hand smacked on my door and Tony's voice filtered through.

"Come on people, we've got to launch this bitch!" he screamed, and I could hear his shoes on the floor as he ran to the next room and repeated his joyful demand.

"Ugh, he does that on purpose doesn't he?" Bruce groaned, letting his head fall heavily back on the pillow. I smiled and looked at the clock.

"Wheels up is at eight, isn't it?"

"Yeah, why?"

It was only seven twenty-six. "We've got time."

Bruce looked at the clock himself and smiled. Sitting up so I was still straddling his lap, I felt him press up against me. I lifted my hips and pushed them down again. I managed this teasing once more before he got impatient and pulled me roughly to him, so we were completely intertwined. Bruce's arms wrapped around my waist and gently caressed the muscles along my back as I rose and fell on top of him.

He groaned loudly, burying his face in my neck.

"You know next door can hear us," I whispered.

He pushed me back so we were at the wrong end of the bed and pushed into me harder. I moaned his name and wrapped my legs around him. When I looked up at him, he just smirked. "Didn't stop us last time."

I breathed a laugh that was abruptly cut off as I came. I threw my head back and as I tried to regain my breath I felt Bruce shudder above me.

I sighed in satisfaction. He fell onto the bed beside me, one arm slung over my waist. "We'd better get ready." I said quietly. He nodded, still breathing heavily.

"Yeah—I'll run back to my room and grab a shower, you can get ready here."

We left the bed at a leisurely pace, retrieving clothes and shoes. Once he was dressed enough to avoid embarrassment should anyone be out in the hall, I saw Bruce look at me from the corner of my eye. He turned me round to face him and, to my surprise, gave me a good bye kiss. Obviously we'd never had a sleep over before, but even so.

"Meet you in the control room?" he asked.

"Of course," I replied, hating that I sounded out of it. I sounded like I was in love, or else what I'd imagined being in love sounded like. With one of his little smiles Bruce left, and I was already under the warm spray of the shower before I could truly regain my faculties.

Tony, Bruce, Clint, Thor, Jane, and Darcy were already in the control room when I got there. Agents worked busily on computers while Maria, Natasha and Coulson walked between them on the raised dais connecting the different branches.

Fury was standing at his original 'perch' at the helm, but he was facing his incomplete team. I could feel he was extremely angry, although sometimes my power was thrown off when Bruce was in the room.

Reed and Sue were next to enter, hand in hand. They looked sleepy but in high spirits. Pepper bustled in next, lugging her overnight bag with her so she could leave immediately after saying her goodbyes. She hugged most of us, even Matt, who came in late with Steve looking like he'd just been throwing up. Tony walked her out of the ship, holding her hand tightly.

"Are you sure we can't bring her with us?" Darcy asked. "I like Pepper, and she keeps Stark in line."

"We have other people to do that," Fury responded shortly, looking at Natasha then at me. "Besides, Miss Lewis, Miss Potts already has a job."

Everyone either found a seat or leaned against one of the railings nearby. We all assumed we'd be getting a less-than-inspiring pep talk from Fury, but instead the Director just took a folded newspaper out of his inside jacked pocket and tossed it onto the table with a 'slap'.

Reed was the only one brave enough to pick it up, the rest of us staring at the newsprint in a tense silence. I had a bad feeling about what was in that paper.

"'Avengers Hit Manhattan Stark Style'", he read. "It's from the _Times_ society pages. Says, 'The Avengers, the world's most recently popular crime fighting team, hit the town last night for dancing and drinks with _The Fantastic Four's_ Reed Richards and Sue Storm, as well as several unidentified individuals.'"

"That'll be you and me bro," Darcy gestured to Matt, who gave her a long-distance fist bump.

"Not to mention Catharine and I," Jane nodded.

"'From the few photos we were able to snap before bouncers threw us out, this reporter was able to confirm that Tony Stark and Pepper Potts are still as much a power couple as ever, and that Thor, the blonde bombshell, seemed happy with a pretty brunette in a red dress.'" Reed continued.

"Hey, they called me pretty," Jane smiled. Thor nodded, as if his suspicions concerning his girlfriend's attractiveness had been confirmed.

"There's photos," Sue added, passing the paper around.

"This is completely unacceptable," Fury seethed. "I ordered you to get some sleep, to be rested for when we LAUNCH A SPACECRAFT— and you take a jet to Manhattan."

He was already into a new tirade against Tony, when Iron Man finally returned, so I tuned out the argument and perused the photos. There was one of us entering the club, mostly of Reed and Sue, and the half-empty table, where Matt, Clint and Bruce sat with a snuggled-up Jane and Thor. The other two were long shots squeezed into the margins farther down; one was of Tony and Pepper dancing, pressed close together, and the other was of the moment where Bruce cut into mine and Thor's slow dance. Thor was just stepping away and Bruce had a hold of my hand. Neither of us looked very happy, but we were looking at each other. It was an alright photo, actually. Thankfully it was quite grainy and dark, so it was unlikely anyone important or dangerous would recognise me. I passed the paper along.

"It was one night!" Tony yelled as I tuned back into the conversation. "We all wanted to let off some steam before this space mission."

"It was my fault anyway," Darcy piped up. "It was my idea, don't blame Tony."

"Don't you worry kitten, I'll take the heat for this one," Stark patted her head. "After all, it was my jet we took, and my chauffer who drove us."

"Damn right you'll be taking the heat," Fury shot back. "It was completely irresponsible, and if we didn't need you for the launch, you'd be confined to quarters."

"But you do so I'm not," Tony sassed. "Shall we go gentlemen?"

Tony, Bruce, and Reed got up to go and join Selvig at the launch lab. The rest of us sat quietly, mostly nursing hangovers and trying to keep the world from spinning, if the way Matt was holding his head was any indication.

We heard all the same technical babble we'd heard before as the scientists prepared the ship, then I felt a soaring sensation, like on an airplane during takeoff, but smoother.

Darcy looked at us all in a panic—"Will it get worse once we go through the atmosphere?"

"No," Jane replied, taking her hand. "The Asgards have a 'magic' version of inertial dampeners. We won't feel most of the turbulence."

"Awesome," Darcy sighed, squeezing her friend's hand. Everyone sat around gripping railings and squeezing their eyes shut until the rhythmic banging stopped and we all looked around at the sudden peace.

"_Um, you guys better get up here,"_ Tony's voice sounded over the intercom. "_We've got a pretty amazing view."_

We all looked at one another, then got up simultaneously and made for the back of the ship, where the others had set up the launch lab in front of the rocket boosters. It was on the same level as the control room, but on the back of the ship.

When we got there, the boys and the Vanirians were lined up in front of a tall window staring out at the Earth.

"Whoa," Darcy gasped, running up to stand with them. We all followed at a more sedate pace. Sue fell into Reed's arms, looking at our planet. Natasha sidled up to Clint and I ended up between Steve and Bruce. Everyone was silent, appreciating this one moment of total serenity, looking out over the world. I looked up at a light pressure at my waist, to see Bruce standing slightly behind me, one arm behind my back. He smiled at me, and I smiled nervously back.

Just sex. It was _just_ sex.

0oOo0

**Bruce's POV**

Seeing the big picture makes some things seem insignificant. That's what I realised as I stood there looking out at the Earth. Catharine and I had begun this _thing_ we were involved in out of anger and leftover hatred from my transformation, but it _had_ been a fluke, no matter what she said. I knew because we hadn't done anything so passionate since. She'd been… patient with me, though I could tell when it came to sex that was something she was unaccustomed to. But now that I knew having my heart rate raised like _that_ wasn't going to tempt the Other Guy, I found that I was able to ease back into the person I was before him, at least with her.

I found myself smiling more easily and that sometimes I even managed to sleep better. Of course, Catharine wasn't a cure-all; most of the time we ended up getting interrupted or having to go back to work, but last night was different. I had no idea whether it was the tequila or the sex or the fact that it was incredibly late and I was exhausted, but I managed to descend into a dreamless sleep; that was rare. I was usually haunted by nightmares about Betty and about the day the gamma bomb went off, as well as scraps of things I remembered from my transformations. But this when morning I woke up on my side facing Catharine, who was peacefully sleeping, and it felt… nice.

The more realistic part of my brain, the part that was near the big green part, rolled its' eyes at my romanticism—what right did I have to assume she'd want anything more with me? Yes, she'd even admitted we had amazing sex, but that was it. We had nothing in common. Besides, she had a life back in Israel, with colleagues and a home, a career. I was an awkward physicist with anger issues and a big green problem. God, why on _Earth_ was she even sleeping with me, let alone anything else?

I watched Sue cuddle up to Reed and Thor put his arm around Jane. Darcy was practically hanging off Tony in excitement, and I felt an uncontrollable urge to touch her. She smiled at me, closed-lipped, as I wrapped my arm around her. My hand tightened slightly on her waist and I managed a quiet exhale. Just sex. This was _just_ sex.

**Alright everybody, let me know what you thought! Bruce won't be joining us every chapter, but I thought it was about time we heard from him.**


	12. Chapter 12

I was just taking off my earrings and unpinning my hair when Thor's voice boomed from the hallway.

"FRIENDS! YOU MUST COME TO THE HELM!"

I smiled slightly at the demigod's antics. He took the term 'spaceship' far too literally, and had taken to calling the control room the 'helm'. I poked my head out of the door to see Natasha and Clint doing the same thing from her room.

"Are we going?" Clint asked.

"I don't know." I replied. "I'm tired. Do you think it is worth it?"

"Come, friends! We approach Asgard!" Thor cried, taking Jane's hand and jogging toward the front of the ship.

"Worth it." Natasha nodded.

"Yep." I nodded, slipping back into my shoes and heading for the control room.

Everyone was already there when the three of us arrived; the broken bifrost loomed before us, and behind that a beautiful golden city.

"Wow," Sue breathed.

"It's beautiful," Steve said.

"It's like that level in Super Mario Kart," Tony observed, without any sense of humour. We all looked at him. "What? It's a RAINBOW BRIDGE, you guys."

Rolling her eyes, Natasha looked to Fury. "Will we be disembarking tonight, sir?"

Fury nodded once. "Yes. I believe it is good manners to introduce ourselves to our hosts." He shot Maria a wry glance, and she nodded back. God, they were actually _cute_. It was disgusting.

"It would be proper to introduce you to the All-Father and my mother," Thor replied. "They are very anxious to meet the heroes of Earth."

We docked at the end of the not-quite-rebuilt bifrost and left the ship. There was an enormous man waiting for us. Dark skin, gold eyes and an imperious stance.

"I am very happy to see you my prince," he said to Thor, briefly dropping to one knee.

"Heimdall, my friend!" The god of thunder smiled, clapping him on the back. "Avengers, this is Heimdall, the guardian of the bifrost and the entrance to Asgard. These are my allies from Midgard—the Avengers."

"It is a pleasure to meet the army who defended the realm against the Chitauri," Heimdall replied. "Come with me, I will take you to their majesties."

The gold-dressed man led us down the bifrost and toward the towering golden doors, then into the palace. It was enormous and decorated in gold, marble and precious stones. Gilt furniture and colourful tapestries lined the high-ceilinged corridors, and I found myself looking around in amazement, trying to take everything in at once.

"This place is _sweet,_" Darcy breathed.

"Yeah, yeah, it's pretty. But do you think there's a USB port to be found? No," Tony grumbled, fiddling with his phone.

"You're not going to get any service here," Clint rolled his eyes.

"Never roam alone my ass." Tony complained, shoving the phone away and keeping pace with the rest of us.

Thor and Heimdall threw open a set of intricately carved double doors, leading us confidently into what appeared to be the throne room. An imperious looking man in battle armour sat proudly on a golden throne. He had an eye patch. I managed to hide my eye roll; great, another man with an eye patch.

The man stood, staring down at us from the top of the raised podium. A beautiful woman who was sitting in a lower throne sat up straighter and smiled happily at Thor. The God of thunder knelt down on one knee, bowing his head.

"My King, it is an honour to be home. May I present the Avengers of Midgard—Fury, Man of Iron, Captain of America, son of Barton, son of Richards, son of Banner, and my friend Selvig. And of course, Lady Natasha the Black Widow, Lady Maria, Lady Darcy, Lady Catharine and Lady Susan. This…" he took Jane's hand and pulled her to the front of the group, "Is Lady Jane. Avengers, these are my parents, King Odin and Queen Frigga."

"Ah, finally, your Lady Jane." Thor's mother smiled politely at the woman holding her son's hand. Jane smiled back nervously. "It is a pleasure to finally see the Avengers of Midgard in person."

"Indeed." Odin nodded brusquely. "We on Asgard may be proud people, but we are grateful for your help."

"We're glad we can offer our services." Fury said. He was being diplomatic, nice even, and it didn't suit him. "But perhaps before we commit to anything we could get some answers."

"Of course. Heimdall, show our guests to the antechamber. I will be there presently."

Heimdall bowed and beckoned us forward, past the dias and into the room behind. There was a wide table with benches either side, and we all filed into seats. I ended up pressed between Steve and Susan. Across the table, Bruce gave Steve and I a look I pretended not to see.

Odin followed us at a stately pace, rounding the table and settling into a golden chair at the head of the table.

"This is where we conduct diplomatic relations; we will not be disturbed here."

"Your Highness, perhaps you could enlighten all of us as to how members of the great God-like could be destroyed?" Thor asked from his father's right hand side.

A look and an emotion passed through Odin, and I felt it; fear. As someone who'd read a lot of tales of the All-Father in preparation for meeting the real thing, I could imagine how rare it was for Odin to feel it.

"The God-like were not just destroyed, they were consumed, their essences and bodies eaten up, leaving nothing to trace."

"This is worrying." Thor murmured.

"What is even more worrying, my son, is that the God-like are each in possession of a very powerful artifact; this artefact was taken as well, and we now live in fear of what the one who now has them could do to us."

"Do to us? What is this artefact exactly?" Maria asked, her right eyebrow going up.

"There is more than one. They are called the Infinity Gems, and they each give their owner power over a specific aspect of the universe. There are six in all, and together they make the Infinity Gauntlet."

"Why have I never heard of this, Father?" Thor questioned.

"All mention of it was wiped from our history. It was thought that by forgetting about them, it would prevent someone with spurious motives from seeking them out."

"Who made the decision to hide these Gems?" Thor banged the table with his fists and stood, pacing behind the bench.

"I did." Odin replied. "I felt it was for the best."

"Well, obviously not everyone forgot." Fury observed. "How many of the six Gems have gone missing?"

"Three, so far. They are the red Gem of power, the yellow Gem of reality, and the green Gem of soul."

"Reality…" I said, speaking up for the first time. "Bruce, didn't you say that your last transformation felt different than the others? Like you were being… controlled?"

"Yes…" he replied.

"King Odin, what powers does the yellow Gem have?"

"It can alter the laws of magic, or as you call it, science, to fulfill wishes. With the added effect of the red Gem, its powers significantly increase." Odin sounded distant.

"By the laws of biology, by every law, no force should be able to influence your transformations with emotional trigger. But it happened. This is how." I looked to Bruce. He got up and climbed over the bench, retreating to the farthest corner of the room, near the door. He was panicked, afraid, angry.

"That also means whoever's doing this can control the length of my transformations, where they happen… I'm not safe." He looked at Fury, glared. "Take me back to the cell."

"I will escort you, Banner," Thor said, leaving with a passing glare at his father. Bruce followed quickly.

We were left in a tense silence which was ended, predictably, by Stark. "You probably haven't heard about Bruce's… unique physiology. When he's angered, he transforms into a big green guy."

"I have heard tell of this beast, of course—I was told my younger son's injuries were mostly due to this Hulk. I however was not informed that he was, sometimes, a man." Odin replied. I could sense he was impressed by the stories he'd heard about the Hulk.

There was silence again, until Thor returned with three men and a woman in tow. They were all laughing and rough housing like children, and it was refreshing to see Thor do something more than brood.

"Friends! These are the Avengers of Earth. These," he gestured grandly, "Is Lady Sif and the Warriors Three!"

The four newcomers bowed politely. I studied them each in turn; they were all exhibiting signs of curiosity, but I didn't like the way Lady Sif fingered her broadsword as she took them all in.

"I am Volstagg the Valiant," the broadest and largest of the men stepped forward. He was dressed casually, but it looked like these were the clothes he wore under his armour. He stepped back and elbowed the silent Asian man next to him. However, before he could introduce himself, the blonde man from Volstagg's other side practically glided forward.

"And I am Fandral the Dashing," he bowed grandly, fixing all the women with a winning grin. I saw Darcy conceal her giggles and eye roll at his antics.

Finally it was the last man's turn. "Hogun the Grim," he said, standing straight and bowing rigidly.

"I am the Lady Sif," the female warrior said last. "Obviously."

"These four are my greatest friends and our fiercest warriors." Thor said proudly.

"Besides you," Fandral winked.

"Of course," Thor dismissed.

"I think we might benefit from allying ourselves with the four greatest warriors in the realm," Fury looked to Odin, who nodded.

After a silent look between them, Volstagg boomed, "Then you have our swords, sir."

"Excellent. Now, if you wouldn't mind, your highness, we've come a long way and perhaps we could rest and configure a battle plan on the morrow? Yes? Fantastic," Tony said. He was really having too much fun with all this formal language.

"Although he is obnoxious, Mr Stark is correct." Fury glared with his one good eye.

"Of course. You have come from another realm, after all. You can return to your ship and we can resume our meetings and construct a strategy for how to deal with Thanos." Odin stood, bowing very slightly at the waist.

All of us filed out, everyone heading back to bed or to their offices. I went down to the cell to check on Bruce. Shut up, I was just concerned. As a friend.

He was still Bruce, not Hulk, lying on his cot staring at the ceiling.

"Can I come in?" I asked, trying to sound a little less clipped than I normally did.

"Probably not a good idea." He replied, not looking over.

I pressed the controls and opened the door. "Remember what I said about handling? I didn't just mean it in a sinful way." I let the door close behind me, but didn't approach him further.

Bruce scoffed out a rough laugh. Finally he turned his head and looked at me. "This is a nightmare."

"I know. But we're moored now, surely you could come out of there and sleep in your room."

"You don't understand Catharine," he turned his gaze back to the ceiling. "This is my room."

**A/N: Angsty Bruce is angsty. And finally, after 11 chapters, we've gotten to the main plot! Cue trumpet sounds. Next chapter will include more of Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, since I'm a big fan of them.**


	13. Chapter 13

**So this chapter was going to have plot, but it ended up being just me sowing the seeds of discontent. I hope you like it anyway, though. Thanos being a dick will continue in the next chapter.**

**I'd like to point out that I made up Peggy's back story to suit my own purposes. Review and enjoy!**

The next morning everyone met bright and early in the palace hall for breakfast. I can only describe the amount of food as… ambitious? At least, that's how I would describe the vigor with which Volstagg tucked in to it.

"This is merely morning meal—the Queen is preparing a proper welcoming feast for you this evening," Odin boomed at us from his spot at the head of the table.

"That's not necessary, your Highness," Steve said graciously.

"Nonsense—we are allies now, soon to trust one another with our lives in battle! We must celebrate our venture and welcome you properly to Asgard."

"Hear hear!" Volstagg yelled with his mouth full of some poor animal I didn't recognise.

"You will enjoy yourselves to be sure, friends," Thor assured. "The feasts here are legendary."

"They've written songs about them," Fandral added.

"Many songs." Hogun affirmed.

"Well, then we shall look forward to it," I smiled.

I watched Lady Sif enter the room and stride gracefully over to Bruce. I looked at Thor then at Steve, eyebrows raised, and they both looked blankly back at me. Apparently nobody had told Thor anything, and Bruce hadn't mentioned wanting to speak to Sif when Steve let him out of the cell.

"You are the one they call Banner." Sif said. It wasn't a question.

"Uh… yes." Brue replied, looking up at her from his seat.

"You are the incredible beast that is spoken of so highly?" She looked doubtful.

Tony piped up before I could interfere and I was glad of it; Lady Sif looked like she might be able to break _Natasha_, and that was no mean feat.

"Hey, hey, we prefer green rage monster." He said, gesturing purposefully with a strip of Asgard 'bacon'.

"His proper name is Hulk," Bruce offered reluctantly.

"And you really are this… Hulk?"

"Unfortunately."

"I would be most interested in speaking to you of your battle against the Chitauri," Sif said, managing to border on pleased—I suspected this woman just didn't _do_ excitement.

"Um. Okay."

"Excellent. We will speak after our meal." She bowed her head marginally and went to sit with the Warriors Three. I met Clint's gaze to my left, and he did the crude hand signal for sex; index finger of his left hand going in and out of a circle made from the thumb and index finger of his right.

I rolled my eyes and flipped him off. Honestly, I did _not_ need this right now.

0oOo0

After a long day of inspecting the troops and showing the royal court all our powers to prove our worthiness—my trick with Mjolnir was a big hit—we gathered in the decorated hall for the feast. Queen Frigga had outdone herself; the massive pillars holding up the ceiling were wound with garland, and grand cornucopias filled with fruit, meat and bottles of mead lined the enormous table. It was sparkling and gold and incredible.

Odin gestured us in grandly, and a serving boy ushered them into seats on his immediate left and right.

"Come, friends of Midgard! Let us feast and toast our coming battle and the demise of Thanos!"

I couldn't help but grin. It was clear where Thor got his unfailing optimism in the face of adversity.

We all sat squished together as the Warriors Three, Sif, and most of the royal advisors crowded in with us. The food was amazing, musicians played lively music, and it became clear Thor was right about the quality of Asgardian mead.

By the mid-point in the meal, Fandral was on Thor's shoulders throwing bread rolls at Tony, who was retaliating with handfuls of peas from the safety of Volstagg's shoulders. Everyone was talking loudly, laughing, drinking and singing along to the music.

Sif and Bruce were across the table and three down from me, deep in conversation. Sif had a wry smile on her face and Bruce was blushing again. I felt something drop in me, and tapped Clint on the shoulder.

"I'm just going to get some air," I said quietly. Clint raised his brows and looked furtively in Bruce's direction. "Don't," I commanded, going out past the pillars into the open air. The pleasing landscape of Asgard was spread out before me, torches lining the streets and lighting the windows. It was beautiful, and the entire place smelled like mountain air on Earth.

"You've been quiet this evening." I turned to see Steve leaning against the pillar directly behind me, hands in the pockets of his chinos.

"Well, everyone else does being loud so well," I flashed an insincere smile and he grinned before becoming serious once more. We stood in silence for a few minutes before I finally got up the courage to ask, "Steve, did you ever… did you ever look up your girl? Peggy, wasn't it?"

He smiled sadly, staring out into the night sky. "Yeah. I wanted to do it myself, you know, but I couldn't work the machines. I ended up asking Natasha for help. She understood."

"What happened to her?" I whispered.

"After the war she came back to America, lived in San Francisco… she met a man. A veteran, like her. His name was Joshua… they got married, had a child. Emily. They were married forty nine years before he died."

"And… does knowing what happened to her help?"

"I'm glad she moved on, I'm glad she was happy… even if it wasn't with me. Yeah, yeah it helps."

I nodded distantly, both of us lost in our thoughts. Eventually he turned to me. "Is this about Banner? Stark told me that you two weren't… well, apparently courting isn't the proper word these days… but he said you two were just—" he blushed and I managed a close-lipped smile. "You were just having… you know."

"We are." I nodded. "And we're not a couple. I entered into this… arrangement we have with the understanding that nothing else would be expected of me. That's what I wanted."

"But not anymore?"

"I never said that. I don't know what changed, but I don't like the way that that Lady Sif looks at him. I… mon dieu, I don't know any more. Maybe I just don't want to… get in the way… especially if there's feelings involved. What if he really likes her? Who am I to insist he set aside something deeper for our booty calls?"

"I don't know what a booty call is, but I'm reasonably certain he won't have fallen in love with her after today." Steve came up beside me and we both sat down on the ledge overlooking the sea.

"How long did it take for you to fall in love with Peggy?" I asked, already knowing the answer. Steve shrugged, acknowledging my point.

"Even so—I'm told that kind of thing doesn't happen anymore," he informed me sadly. I rested my head on his shoulder, trying to give the poor man some comfort.

"Ah! At last I have found you, Lady Catharine!" Thor cried happily. "You must come back into the hall! I am instructing our friends on the dancing of Asgard. You must join us!" I looked at Steve, then turned to Thor with a plastered on smile.

"Of course, Thor. I'd love to learn." I got up, using Steve's shoulder for support, and gestured for him to come with me. We then went inside, learned something that resembled a quadrille, and drank a lot more mead.

0oOo0

It was so late it was almost early, and we were all offered guest rooms in the palace rather than struggle with walking back to the ship. The Midgard wasn't really that far, but Thor hadn't been kidding about the Asgardian alcohol—it DID fuck you up.

One of the chamber maids showed us to a hall lined with ornate wooden doors. Making sure I was at the back of the group, I opened one of the doors and pulled Bruce inside by the back of his shirt.

"Whoa! Oh, it's you." He said, regaining his balance. "This Asgard stuff is insane—I'm amazed Sif could joust with Fandral after drinking so much of it. I'm having a hard time standing u-up straight."

I chuckled. "So it's… Sif now? You've dropped the 'Lady' after one day?" I tried not to sound petulant.

"Well, we spent an awf-awful long time talking, and calling her 'Lady Sif' all day became… tedious." Both of us were having a hard time managing multiple syllables.

Backing up a few steps, I kicked off my boots and toed out of my socks, letting my bare feet sink into the fur rug on the floor. With a pleased sigh, I stretched, my arms high into the air, and began to strip out of my clothes.

"Oh, listen, Catharine, I don't know if tonight's a good idea—" Bruce began, but I cut him off.

"I just don't want to sleep alone." I explained, dropping my Oxford shirt on the floor and climbing into the large four poster bed covered in silk and furs wearing nothing but my under things. Maybe it was selfish, but if he was in my bed then I knew whose bed he _wasn't _in.

Bruce watched me for a few moments, then nodded. He undressed as well, getting into bed beside me. I lay down on the pillows and closed my eyes, determined not to sleep facing Bruce. Before I could make a conscious decision to do so, I fell into a drunken sleep.

_It was my first interrogation. _

_I was young, too young, or at least that's what my training officer said. I could hear him arguing with the higher-ups through the door as I sat on the floor in the hallway. _

_My boss' boss came out, striding toward me. _

_He hauled me up by my arm and dragged me to the elevator. The interrogation level was in the basement. When we got there, he shoved me out into the blank white hallway and didn't help when I stumbled._

_I entered the plain grey room and looked at the man tied up at its' center. He'd already been worked over by the male agents. _

_I was there to empathise, to be a friend, to trip him up. I sent a wave toward him, trying to figure out what he was feeling. I jumped back when he groaned and his bloody lipped oozed. _I_ couldn't have done that. To make sure, I tried again. His broken wrist twisted under the leather strap, and the man screamed. _

_I cowered._

"_What do you want?" he cried._

"_I'm here to take your confession." I said. Screw caring, I wanted to get out of that room as soon as possible._

"_I didn't do anything!" He screamed. I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears. "Your friends just grabbed me off the street!"_

"_What?" I was confused. This man was a terrorist, they told me so._

"_I'm not a criminal!" he cried. His wounds were bleeding more profusely now, courtesy of my anxiety. I could feel his pain, and it crippled me. I fell back against the door._

"_Let me out!" I screamed, pounding on the reinforced door. _

"_This is an exercise, Officer Krueger," I heard from outside. "You know what you must do."_

_I felt the tears leaking out the corner of my eyes. Soon I was doubled over. I wheeled on my suspect, grabbing his neck. His choking clogged my lungs, and my screams echoed in the room._

"Catharine! Cath, wake up!"

I jerked awake, nearly falling out of bed. Where the fuck? I looked around the room with teary eyes, seeing my discarded clothes and the blazing golden fireplace across the room. _Asgard._ I looked up and saw Bruce leaning over me, his brow furrowed.

"Catharine, you're okay. You're fine." He sat back and I got out of bed, restlessly pacing the floor on shaky legs. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." I snapped.

"Okay." Bruce leaned back against the headboard and watched me.

After a few minutes, I couldn't take it anymore. "What?"

"Nothing. I was just wondering if you were going to go back to sleep."

"What are you, my mother?"

"No, I'm your—" he faltered. "Friend. And I think you should tell me about whatever you were remembering just now."

"I don't want to talk about it." I maintained, getting back under the covers and turning so my back was to him.

"You were talking in your sleep, you know. 'Let me out'."

"Yeah. I usually do."

"Were you trapped on a mission?"

"I don't want to do this right now, okay?" I cried. Bruce sighed and got up. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to find an unoccupied guest room," he answered, pulling his clothes back on.

"I'm sure you'll find a welcome bed wherever Lady Sif is." I grumbled.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me." I sat up and glared at him. "And don't pretend you didn't notice—she was eye-fucking you all night."

"Catharine, I—no, you know what? I am not doing _this_ right now. I'm going to find somewhere else to sleep. It's none of your business where."

"Fine."

"Fine."

He left the room silently, carrying his shoes. I tossed violently onto my stomach, closing my eyes even though I was no longer tired. I flipped over once more, finding myself in the middle of the mammoth bed. To my left, I could feel the heat imprint from where Bruce had been. Cursing my own weakness, I rolled into it and fell asleep against his pillow.


	14. Chapter 14

**I took some details from the 2011 Green Lantern movie while describing the God Like, but it's not very noticeable. Also, if you're a Buffy fan you'll recognise the allusion to **_**Hush**_**. EXCELLENT EPISODE.**

The next morning, Bruce and I weren't making eye contact and I had the world's most prolific hangover. Okay, well, I was in better shape than Tony, whose legendary partying skills apparently did not prepare him for Asgardian-octane booze. He came out of his room hugging the wall in his boxers, a pair of sunglasses and a white tee shirt that said 'Get it Here'.

Of course, Fury and Agents Hill and Coulson looked perfectly groomed and impressively sober, even though I KNOW Phil went shot for shot with Hogun last night. Their apparent lack of side effects seemed to make mine intensify, and I couldn't help but shoot death glares at them all.

"All right everyone, I know it's early," Fury began. There was a pained murmur of agreement from all of us. "But we put our plan into action today, and I wanted to assign teams before I let you all… clean yourselves up." The Director glared in Tony's direction, but Stark only leaned farther down the wall and gave him half a salute. "We are taking shifts with the God Like today, trying to keep them safe from Thanos' attack. We will be working in groups of three, with four hour shifts. I've made a list."

He handed Darcy a list to be passed around. The younger girl paled as she handed the list off.

"Matt, you're with Hogun and Coulson." She informed him.

"Sweet, thanks Darce." Daredevil smiled, patting her shoulder. Honestly, the man's skills were unnerving. He shouldn't be able to just reach out and hit his mark like that. It was impressive.

When I got the list, I felt every woman in the room's eyes turn to me. I skimmed the paper: I was with Hill and Fury. Should make for a very serious four hours. Looking up at Darcy, I furrowed my brow at her nervous stare. She motioned for me to keep reading.

The last group was the one she wanted me to see. I knew because my stomach dropped at the sight of it; Bruce was paired with Darcy and Sif. I suppose it made sense to pair Darcy with the Hulk if she insisted on helping, but…

I passed the piece of paper on and half-listened while Fury told us we would reconvene in our corridor at the beginning of our shift to meet our teams. Until then, we were free. Darcy grabbed my wrist and shoved me into my room, slamming the door.

"Are you okay?" she asked me.

"Honestly Darcy, what is your problem? I'm fine. I didn't pick the teams and neither did he. It's all Fury's idea and I'm sure he had a reason."

"Yeah, did he or did he not forbid you from seeing Banner?"

"How did you know about that?" I asked, sitting on the plush chair by the fire.

"Please, Stark had the whole base hacked and wired to the lab, like, the second he got there. We were checking up on Bruce after he Hulked when we overheard."

"And Tony kept his mouth shut about it for this long?"

"I told him it wasn't ours to listen in on or judge. And I threatened him with my taser." Darcy shrugged. "Even in his Iron Man suit, I could do Stark some damage."

I smiled. "We had a fight last night." I confessed.

"Who? You and Banner?"

"No, me and Thor. Of course Banner. I was having a nightmare, and he wanted me to share. I didn't want to talk about it. Then I… I told him when he was leaving that I was sure Sif would have a place for him to sleep."

"What are you new?" Darcy cried. "You practically asked him to go over there last night for some lovin!"

"Don't be absurd. We were all far too drunk last night to get anything up. If he slept with Sif, it had nothing to do with sex." I sounded flippant and confident, but I wasn't really certain of anything.

"Well if he did I'm going to blame you." Darcy softened. "Get some sleep before your shift. You look like shit. And don't worry, I'll be around to ruin any moments that sword-wielding hussy might be planning."

I laughed tiredly, going to get into my mammoth bed. "Darcy, you're something else."

"I know." She replied as she walked out the door.

0oOo0

My shift wasn't till four o'clock, so I slept and got something to eat with Darcy and Thor and Tony. I hadn't seen Bruce, but Tony made a crude joke about him and Sif being in the gym. Everyone looked at me, but I did my best to keep my face emotionless.

When I met up with Fury and Maria, we wordlessly went through the palace to the front gates, then climbed higher up the mountain behind the building. There were roughly hewn steps carved into the ground, which made the walk easier.

The God like were in impossibly high-backed thrones, their golden robes falling over either side. Three of the thrones in the circle sat empty. Fury looked to where Barton, Natasha and Stark stood between the remaining elders, fully suited up and armed to the hilt.

"Any activity?" Fury asked.

"None, sir." Barton replied.

"Good. Consider yourselves relieved."

"THANK GOD." Tony sighed. "I need to sleep off my sleeping it off." He clanked off down the hill with a two-fingered salute at me.

Natasha and Clint nodded and marched off like good soldiers. We nodded to each other, and then I went to stand next to one of the God Like. It was an impossibly old man, completely devoid of hair, even eyebrows. He stared across the expanse toward the empty chairs.

"I am sorry about your fellow elders," I said quietly.

"I thank you." He answered, not looking at me. I took this as the end of the conversation, and studied the other elders instead.

There was another man and a woman. The woman had thin auburn hair pulled back into a severe bun, and her golden robe's hood was folded neatly down her back. The man was as bald as my charge from what I could see; his hood was up. All I could see were his soulful grey eyes.

The three of them were tensed and perfectly still, as though they expected to be taken at any moment. In fact, I could tell they felt that our protective detail was less than useless. I had been pleasantly surprised to find my empathy abilities worked on Asgard. You never knew with aliens.

Our four hours were just as serious as I'd imagined, with little to no chatter. Thor, Volstagg and Fandral came at eight o'clock to relieve us; Volstagg brought with him an enormous basket of what smelled like snacks. The man's appetite would have eaten S.H.I.E.L.D. out of house and home.

"Great and powerful elders," Thor bowed, and his friends followed suit, "It is our honour to lend our swords to protect you."

"Your loyalty is most becoming, Prince Thor." The woman said calmly. The three men rose and took our spots.

"Richards, Storm and the Captain will relieve you at midnight," Fury said to them, before leading us back down toward the palace.

0oOo0

I was dozing in bed with a book when Darcy banged into my room.

"Project: Block the Cock was a rousing success," she announced, flopping onto the foot of my bed.

"All right then. You didn't need to cock block anyone, you know." I smiled.

"As your friend it is my sworn duty to protect the sovereignty of your sex friend powers over Dr Banner. I consider it a mission of diplomacy."

"That's the most use your degree has gotten since you met Jane." I commented, flipping a page.

"Oh, don't pretend you don't care. I know you and Banner have a thing, and it is _so_ Giles and Olivia, except I doubt you'll break up because of voice-sucking aliens..."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Buffy? Giles and his sex friend Olivia? No? I need to beef up your geek cred." Darcy rolled her eyes at me.

"I'm sorry to disappoint."

"Never mind. Banner is yours once again. I don't think he ever strayed, actually—I think Sif has a thing for the Hulk, not Bruce. All she did was ask him question after question."

"Oh, I'm sure Bruce loved that. He's nuts about the Other Guy." I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, it was appropriately tense. But Banner didn't seem to mind her taking an interest. I guess asking is better than running and screaming."

"Indeed. Well, I thank you for your efforts, Darcy. Your cock blocking skills are no longer required."

"Sweet. I'm not that good at it anyway. Turns out I can only flaunt my boobs at people. Banner's too nice to be swayed by the girls."

I laughed. "Goodnight, Darcy."

0oOo0

The attack started at eleven PM the next day. I was asleep, laying face down in my bed on the Midgard. From next door, I heard Clint roll out of bed and hit the floor.

"RED ALERT. RED ALERT. MAN BATTLE STATIONS." The automated voice of the ship boomed out over and over. I threw on a pair of jeans and a loose t-shirt, and strapped a nine millimetre to each of my legs. Fighting hand to hand wasn't really my style, but I was a good shot.

The halls were lit by the red emergency lights. Clint emerged from the room next door with Nat, both of them in full uniform. He slung his quiver over his shoulder.

"Get to the armory. You'll need a rifle with a scope."

I nodded and headed down the hall at a run. On my way I ran into Tony.

"Hey, where are you off to?" he asked.

"Rifles. You?"

"Suit." He panted back. "Meet you at the God Like."

"You got it." We parted ways at the armory. I found myself a Barrett M82 and hoisted it over my shoulder. It might've been over kill, but with this Thanos person I wasn't about to take any chances.

I ran out to the docking bay and down the bifrost toward the palace. Thor and his friends were suiting up in the throne room.

"Lady Catharine!" Thor cried. "I see you are prepared to do battle."

"I am. Thor, how can I get onto the roof?"

"I can take you there myself." Thor grabbed me round the waist and hoisted me off my feet, then walked out onto the open portico. He swung Mjolnir and he began to rise off the ground. I let out a squeak and gripped my rifle tighter. Once we were on the roof, he dropped me down and rose back into the sky. "Fare the well, Lady Catharine. We shall meet again after the battle!"

I gave him a wave and watched for a moment as he moved toward the God Like's mountain, then I set up the tripod on the M82 and hunkered down to peer through the scope.

Thanos was a huge, hulking creature, greyish in colour and wearing a great gold glove. He stood before the God Like, who regarded him with calm resolve. They'd seen this coming; they'd been prepared for a while now.

I pushed my S.H.I.E.L.D. earpiece into my ear and listened to the chatter. Apparently Tony and Thor were hovering above the cloud cover, and Richards, Sue, Matt, Rogers, and Natasha were all suited up (or not, in Sue's case), and hiding along the base of the mountain. Clint was on the roof of a bathing house on the other side of the mountain, where the ground was higher. The Warriors Three and Sif were waiting with Asgard's forces for the battle cry.

"We're waiting for Thanos to strike," Fury's voice came into my ear.

"Sir, are you sure? We're going to be waiting for another one of these people to die," I said.

"Hold your fire, Krueger." Fury ordered.

Without any warning, a hoard of people converged on the mountain, dressed in Asgard armour.

"Who the hell are they?" I heard Tony asked.

"Those are the soldiers of Asgard," someone had given Thor a headset.

"What the hell are they doing?" The Captain, cried, and I heard gunfire. "Don't they know we're on their side?"

"Apparently no one gave them the memo." Tony sassed. "Jesus, what are they doing?"

"Wait, I see Fandral," I said, watching his approach through the scope. He ran over to a descending Thor and spoke to him for a moment.

"It appears that our bravest warriors have been put under the influence of Thanos." Thor told us.

"We've just lost the advantage, sir," Maria said.

"Evidently." Fury replied. "Alright, everyone, this isn't our first enemy fleet, and we've got more members now. Stark, Barton, Thor and Krueger, you'll be air support, picking off the front lines and whoever's in charge. Rogers, you take middle field with Romanoff and Banner. Doc, now would be a good time."

I heard the ground rumble and then Bruce erupted into the Hulk.

"Everyone else, fill in the gaps." Fury ordered.

"Are we making kill shots?" I heard Clint ask.

"Do what you have to."

"But sir, these aren't enemy combatants," Natasha said.

"They're on our side, they've just… forgotten." I added.

"Right now, they _are_ the enemy, and you will do whatever you can to keep them at bay. Refrain from headshots if you must, but you will need to take them down."

I saw Reed stretch his torso across the entirety of the front line, tripping them up so Bruce, Steve and Natasha could meet them head on. I focussed my scope and exhaled, squeezing the trigger. One of the generals on the back left fell, one clean hole in his chest.

"Hey, Dem, I had him in my sights," Barton complained in my ear, and I grinned. The heat of battle was coursing in my veins, and I couldn't bring myself to feel worry or even guilt.

"Want to make this a contest, Hawk?"

"I think you know I do." I could hear his smirk.

"Well, I'm winning."

"Are you two for real?" Tony asked.

"What? You're just mad we didn't invite you to play." Clint teased. I saw another soldier fall. "One-one, Demeter."

"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled, focussing in on the right side of the battle zone. A rather intimidating man was pointing a crossbow at Natasha, while she was fighting off another attacker. I felt no guilt with firing the kill shot. "Two." I hit another who had a hold on Sue's invisible form. "Three."

"I hate you." Clint said. "And we are now… tied."

"Uh huh," I acknowledged, watching through the scope as the Hulk swept his arm to the side and knocked over three fully-armed soldiers. He roared, and I was reminded again of just how powerful he was, and how Bruce's fear of him was justified.

Things were going well until Darcy's voice sounded. "Um, Cath, I'm in the ship watching this go down, and you've got Charlie climbing up your side of the palace."

"Merde," I grumbled, shuffling up from my stomach to stand on the edge of the roof. There were half a dozen men scaling the wall, heading straight for me. Apparently they were just possessed, not stupid. They figured out where my shots were coming from. I'd have to move, but first I had to deal with them.

I unclipped my left nine millimetre beretta and cocked the hammer. Two shots, two kills. By now, the remaining four were coming over the top and straight at me. I managed to push one of them off the ledge, but that still left me with three. I shot one, leaving him bleeding from a wound in his thigh. Adrenaline pumped in my veins and I hauled back and hit one of the soldiers in the jaw. Of course, he hit me back, and he was far more muscled than me. I spun to the ground, and I could just _tell_ I'd have a bruise from the impact on my shoulder.

I struggled back to my feet and lashed out with my left foot, catching my attacker in the thigh. His friend grabbed me around the chest, pinning my arms while the other one hit me. I fell back onto my assailant as he hit the dirt.

"I got your back, Dem." Clint said, felling the man that hit me as well. Arrows look strange when they're sticking out of people's heads.

"Alright, that is awesome," I said, breathing heavily. "But this big motherfucker is kind of on my legs." I struggled into a sitting position and tried to shift the massive man off my knees. The hole in his head was bleeding all over me.

There was an almighty roar, and I shifted as much as I could to see the Hulk scale the mountain like it was nothing, and practically body check Thanos. The two of them rolled off the God Like's throne room and over to Clint's side of the mountain.

"Head's up guys, I just fired at Thanos and the bullet bounced." Clint informed us.

"Fantastic," Natasha sighed. She was barely visible without my scope, but I saw her roundhouse kick a soldier in the face.

"I'm somehow reminded of Budapest," I commented wryly.

"Seriously, was everyone on glue in Budapest but me? This is NOT like Budapest!" Clint yelled, making my comm. squeal. I winced and pushed one more time at the soldier pinning me down. He shifted downward a little, and I wiggled my right shin until it was free. By kicking and twisting, I managed to free my other leg as well.

"I'm back on my feet," I said to no one in particular, falling to my stomach again to pick off a few of the bigger soldiers still going.

"Hey, someone better get over here," Sue called. "Thanos just finished… eating? Yeah, eating one of the God-Like and he's turning the Hulk back into Banner."

"What?" Tony asked.

"Well, he did turn Bruce into the Hulk, it only makes sense that it works the other way around," Matt's voice came next. I saw him doing some kind of crazy acrobatics to my left, making two attaking soldiers head butt each other.

"I shall assist Friend Banner." Thor told everyone, rushing to the other end of the fight zone in record time. I couldn't really see anything, but a moment later I heard the Hulk howl in pain, and then there was nothing.

"What's going on down there?" I asked. "Thor?"

"We are here, Lady Catharine," The god of thunder assured me. He came round the foot of the mountain carrying an unconscious Bruce.

"Nice one, bug guy," Tony complimented. "Maybe we should get him to the infirmary."

"No, I'm good, let me down," I heard Bruce mumble through Thor's comm. Thor set him on his feet far more gently than he'd done with me, and left one hand on his shoulder for support. "I'm going to try to change again."

"Thor, tell Banner to hold that thought—it might not be safe," I heard Fury say.

"It's the only way to make sure I don't get hurt," Bruce said. He took a few steps away from Thor and Tony, only to double over as an arrow pierced his back and poked through his chest.

"Bruce!" I yelled, getting up and looking frantically for a way down into the fray. I saw a steel trapdoor, and ran over to it. There was a steep stone staircase, and I could see light at the end of it. There had been steps here the whole time? Thor clearly liked showing off his flying skills.

I took the stairs three at a time, emerging in some sort of servant's corridor. I found the biggest door I could and hauled it open. I was in the trophy room. We'd seen that before. How to get outside… I raced to the door across the room, and grabbed a pillar with one hand to slingshot me around the corner. At the end of the hall I saw Steve and Matt, fighting side by side.

"Matt!" I called just as Daredevil put one soldier down with a knee to the nose.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, turning in my direction.

"Bruce has been hit. Where are they?"

He concentrated for a moment, and I stayed quiet.

"Over there." He pointed to the right, through a dense clump of bodies and fighting men. I could make out Natasha's hair in the fray.

"Thanks," I called, taking off again. I leaped over the pile of dead bodies, and ducked under Natasha's high kick.

Tony, Thor Volstagg and Sif were crowded around Bruce. He was on the ground on his side, and the puddle of blood was growing bigger all the time.

"Tony!" I yelled, and Iron Man flipped up his face plate and turned to me.

"Cath," he said, looking more serious than I'd ever seen him. I knelt down next to Bruce. Volstagg was holding a piece of his cape to the entrance wound and Bruce was putting pressure on the smaller exit wound the point made.

"Hey," I said, feeling stupid. I tried to help, putting more pressure on his chest, trying to plug the hole by pushing the arrow's point back in, but the dark red blood seeped through both our fingers.

"You're bleeding," he said to me. His voice was so quiet I had to bend over to hear him.

"So are you," I couldn't help but laugh. The man had an arrow jutting out of his back and he was worried about the minor beating I'd gotten? "Can I do anything else?"

"Stop Thanos," he rasped back. "He… controls the… H-Hulk… usually indestructible."

"I know," I assured him. "Have we got a twenty on Thanos?"

"Sue was following him back up toward the God-Like, Clint's got her back." Tony replied. I nodded.

There was a great scream, then thunder and lightning tore through the grey sky. I saw Sue becoming more visible the closer she got to the edge of the mountain.

"Sue!" Reed yelled as she toppled over. He stretched as far as he could, running the whole way, but wasn't in time to catch her. "No! Fury, get a medical team out here! We're tired, people are dying!"

"Everyone's on their way." I heard Fury answer. "How's Banner?"

"Not great," Tony said somberly.

"Banner suffers greatly," Thor added.

"You need to hang on for me, alright?" I whispered, trying to keep our conversation private. "People are on their way to help."

There was a roar, and Thanos appeared, holding the remaining two God-Like. As we watched, he pulled their essences from their bodies and took the gems from beneath their robes. They fitted themselves into the glove, and it was complete.

"Cath… I-I…" Bruce was coughing blood, and my stomach dropped. "Never slept with Sif."

"I know, I'm sorry," I whispered back. "That night I was dreaming about the first time I killed someone. Keep talking to me, Bruce."

There was a flash of lightening, and Thanos raised his gloved hand. "FOR DEATH!" he screamed. His dark, bloody teeth were shown in a grotesque smile. He vanished, and we were all left alive to watch the universe end.

**DON'T HATE ME, I DID NOT JUST KILL OFF BRUCE AND SUE, AND EVERYONE ELSE IS NOT GOING TO WATCH THE APOCALYPSE! I mean, they **_**are**_** watching the end of the universe, but those of you familiar with the Infinity Gauntlet know that this isn't the end.**

**We don't have much left of this story, maybe enough to round out twenty chapters. Anything specific you'd like to see? REVIEW or PM!**


	15. Chapter 15

**I'd like to thank the lovely 'Guest' who's been reviewing. I can reply to you in person, so this will have to do!**

**This is the only chapter I have planned out that isn't told from Bruce or Catharine's point of view. And it is TINY.**

Mistress Death sashayed along the dead, flat rock that was once Asgard. There wasn't a star in the sky. Her long black cloak, usually fluttered by the slightest breeze, enfolded her feet completely.

"You were foolish." She intoned to her companion.

"Foolish?" Thanos growled. He was confused. She wasn't surprised. He was truly dim. "I ended an entire universe! I extinguished every star! The population of the galaxy was sacrificed."

"For whom?" she asked, her full lips pulled back in a snarl.

"You!" He thundered back. "All of this was for you! To prove my love, to win your heart!"

"You imbecile!" Mistress Death hissed. "I never asked you to do this, and I never asked for your love! What are we to do now, Thanos? Without any masses to conquer, without any lives to take? Shall it just be you and I forever?"

"I would gladly submit to such a fate," Thanos told her. The lovesick fool. Did he not know whom he was dealing with?

"You would not be so eager had you been privy to my true form," she said. Her beautiful face, her steely black eyes, receded until she was nothing more than a hooded cloak and a bleached skeleton. Thanos' dull eyes flicked back and forth over her.

"I do not understand…"

"It is simple; you were needed once to do my bidding. I assumed my persona as the Mistress to gain you submission, and it worked. What I had not planned on was your rash behaviour in an attempt to gain my attention! I will reverse what has been done, Thanos, and give life back to death. In return, I will take your soul. Call it my own… sacrifice."

"No, please, Mistress, I beg of you…" Thanos fell to his knees and held out the Infinity Gauntlet to her. "Take it, take my power, I submit myself to you for eternity!"

"Yes you will," Death nodded, placing a skeletal hand on his brow. "The eternity of the afterlife."


	16. Chapter 16

**Tried to get this done as quickly as possible, to make up for that tiny tiny chapter before. Enjoy :)**

I couldn't open my eyes. I wanted to, don't get me wrong, but my lids felt like they were glued shut. In the absence of sight, I reached out with my ears; I heard yelling and coughing, low voices somewhere near. There were clunking boots, and soldiers' laughter and rough housing.

I rolled over onto my back and groaned. I could make sounds. That meant I probably wasn't dead. Ever so slowly, I raised one hand to my eyes and swiped at them.

The sky was light grey, dark blue peeking through the low-hanging clouds. I couldn't see much from where I lay, but from what I could tell I hadn't been unconscious very long.

_Bruce,_ my brain reminded me. He had been bleeding, I recalled, and the arrow through his back hit his lung… he was coughing blood. _I need to get to him._ I pushed quickly into a sitting position, arms supporting my weight behind me. I was next to him, my head near his legs. I must've fallen to the side when… whatever it was happened.

He lay on his back, and the arrow was nowhere to be seen. The pool of blood had turned sticky, adhering to our clothes and turning my hands orange. I scrambled forward to look at him more closely.

"He has a pulse."

I turned to see Coulson standing with one of The Midgard's medical team.

"What?" I croaked.

"He has a pulse. Normal vital signs. He appears to be asleep."

"But…" I gestured to the blood.

"I know. We can't figure it out either. Ms Storm is in the same state." He pointed behind me and I craned my neck; Reed, Matt and Darcy were gathered around Sue's body. I could see her chest rise and fall in deep, even breaths.

I checked Bruce's pulse for myself, then pulled away.

"Come on, Banner," I whispered. "Don't do this to me now. You have to wake up and tell me what the hell just happened to us. And… there are things that need to be said… when you're feeling better."

I don't know how long I sat there, but no one disturbed me. From the corner of my eye I could see Stark climbing out of his suit, his eyes trained on us. Eventually, I saw Bruce's lips move. He groaned out a couple of syllables, and shifted beneath the hand I laid on his chest. "Bruce?" I called gently, shaking his shoulder.

"Ugh," he replied, turning his head in my direction. He repeated my maneuver with regards to his eyes, then finally looked up at me.

"Hello," I said as casually as possible. He grimaced, which I took as a smile.

"Hey," he said back. His voice was gravelly and weak. "Wha's happening?"

"I don't know." I replied. "But you're not dying anymore."

"Tha's good." He nodded. I helped him sit up, and he looked idly around us. "Whose blood is this?"

"…Yours," I answered. "From before. But the medics say you're not bleeding anymore."

Tony and Fury must have seen Bruce, because they were next to us in a second. Tony knelt down, while Fury preferred to stand and look down on us.

"How's it going, Banner?" Tony asked. Bruce scrunched up his face and managed a small grin.

"Good. You?"

"Can't complain." Iron Man replied. "Your girl there never left. Never pegged you for Florence Nightingale, Catharine."

"Fuck you Tony," I groused, slowly levering forward so I was on my knees.

"Thank GOD you're okay," Darcy cried, nearly tipping me over with her embrace. "Fury, can we go home now?"

"Yes please," Steve said from behind our group.

"First things first, I want a bath." I demanded.

"Lady Catharine," I looked over to see Queen Frigga gliding over to us. She was a little dirtied and tired looking, but still graceful as ever. "We would be honoured if you, as well as any of your friends, would use our facilities to rest your bodies and clean your wounds."

It seemed rude to refuse, and I wanted to see if the baths in Asgard were the massive ones that were sunk into the floor.

"Thank you, Your Highness," I curtseyed and my knees cracked. "Your offer is very generous."

"I will spread the word among your comrades." The queen left to speak to Clint, Natasha, Maria and Steve, who were doing their best to corral the troops… wait a second, I'd killed that man! I whipped my head around to see hundreds of men walking about.

"I know," Darcy muttered to me. "They're all fine. No wounds or anything. What do you think is going on?"

"I don't know." I replied.

"I bet she knows something about it," Tony pointed and we all turned. A deathly pale woman in a billowing black cape was walking toward us. She didn't seem to be in any hurry.

"People of Midgard, soldiers of Asgard," she spoke in a low, dangerous voice. "I am Mistress of Death. This will be the only time we will meet before age or infirmity takes you. Today is not that day. I have given back what was stolen, both in torn flesh and taken lives." I looked to Bruce and then to Sue, who was now sitting up fully supported by her husband. "Thanos was misguided in his pursuits, and I have punished him for it. You Majesty," she turned to King Odin. "I believe these belong to you." She handed him a velvet bag and he took it. Reaching in with one hand, the king pulled out the red Infinity Gem. "I hope they are never reunited in your lifetimes. Some power should not be courted." With that, she disappeared in a wisp of black smoke.

"Huh," Coulson said, nodding.

"Yeah," Tony added.

"Wow," Steve scratched his head.

"So…" Clint scuffed his boot on the ground.

"Food?" Volstagg asked.

"As soon as we're cleaned up," Matt promised.

0oOo0

The bathroom that the maid led me to was out of my best Cleopatra-themed fantasies; the in-ground tub was the size of a round swimming pool, and all of it was tiled in gold mosaic patterns. The maid left me a comb, a navy silk robe and far too many towels, then left with a curtsey. I sighed in satisfaction and thankfully stripped off my bloody, dirty clothes.

I sunk into the bathtub with a groan and allowed the hot water to wash away both mine and Bruce's blood. I closed my eyes and thought about what Mistress Death had said. She'd healed my wounds and bruises, and she'd revived Sue… and Bruce.

He'd died. I didn't remember it happening, but sometime before the universe ended Bruce's heart stopped beating. I couldn't save him.

I'd seen a lot of people die, and most of the time I was the reason for their demise. It was very rare that I was the one left behind to try and save a life. It was probably a good thing, since I apparently sucked at it.

I really don't know how long I wallowed in the bath, floating on my back and washing my hair with the heavenly shampoo in the gold bath caddy, before there was a knock on the door.

"Occupied!" I called, dunking my head under the water and popping back up.

"Duh," Darcy banged in and slammed the door behind her. "Okay, I have only one question: what the fuck is up with you? Were you not hugged as a child?"

"Um… no… not very often. Why?" I asked, sinking down so only my head was above the water.

"Banner DIES and comes back and you don't even touch him? The least you could have done was tell him the truth!"

"The truth about what?" I had a sinking feeling about this.

"That you love him, obviously!" Darcy rolled her eyes. "Jane said it to Thor about ten minutes ago and they're having hot monkey sex on the ship. Don't you want hot monkey sex?"

"What makes you think I haven't had it? You don't need to drop the L word for that," I smirked.

"You didn't deny it." Darcy observed.

"I don't know how I feel. Everything lately makes me react so differently…I'm being jealous and paranoid and irrational…"

"Oh, that's love." My friend shook her head.

"How's Sue?" I asked, changing the subject.

"She's better. Everyone's either in a tub or on the ship cleaning up."

"Good."

There was another knock on my door, and Sif entered.

"Lady Catharine, may I have an audience?" she asked.

"Why not, everyone else is," I grumbled. She nodded once, but didn't step any closer to us.

"I wanted to say that I have learned of your arrangement with Banner. While I find it strange, I have always believed in only taking that which is rightfully mine. In this category I do not count Banner. But by your own admission, neither is he yours. Therefore I shall not apologise for my mistake, but rather inform you that I am aware of it."

"Um… thank you." I nodded.

"See?" Darcy cried. "Even she knows your sex-friend thing is bogus!"

"Yes, that's what she said," I sighed, "I need to think, get out," I ordered.

"Fine, but we're not done talking about this." The two of them left me and I was alone for all of ten minutes before there was another knock.

"Oh my god, what?" I yelled.

"… It's me… can I come in?" Bruce called through the door.

"Oh… yes." I called back. He side stepped through the door and closed it behind him. He averted his eyes and took one step forward. "You've seen me naked Bruce," I scoffed. He nodded absent mindedly and looked over as I lifted myself up out of the tub. He blushed.

"Yes, I have," he replied.

I'd never been particularly proud or ashamed of my body. I wasn't lithe like Natasha or willowy like Pepper—I wasn't even sexy like Darcy. I was all rounded curves and full lines, but when Bruce stared at me as I padded across the room, I could feel I was appreciated just as I was.

I shot a look over my shoulder as I pulled on the robe. And, he was still staring. I smiled to myself. Obviously he was just a sex friend, since I just wanted him to check me out.

But is that all I wanted?

"So is everything alright?" I turned to study him. He looked exhausted, but cleaner; he'd showered and his hair was damp and curly. He was in sock feet and he was dressed in loose khakis and a plain grey t-shirt.

"Yeah, everything's… you know… weird." He replied, looking away and scratching the back of his neck. "I wanted to say thanks… for staying with me when I…"

"When you died." I finished with difficulty. "You don't need to thank me, you would have done the same for any one of us. Probably with better results: you are the doctor, after all."

He gave a close-lipped smile and fidgeted. "I told you the truth you know. I didn't sleep with Sif. That night I left your room, I woke up Tony and crashed on the sofa in his room."

I smirked. "Actually…"

"What?"

I decided not to tell him about Sif's visit. "Nothing, never mind. She just doesn't seem to like me, that's all."

"Well, she knows about… us… and everyone else does too. I think it spread around the ship faster than normal gossip."

I chuckled. "Yeah, the rage monster and the hired gun. It's like a Tom Clancy thriller."

"About that… your nightmare. I shouldn't have insisted. You know you better than I do. If telling someone doesn't make you feel better, then that's fine. It doesn't help everyone."

"It might've," I admitted. "But that one… I don't mind talking about all my other kills. I was prepared for them, I was ready and no one suffered. But that first one… it took too long, and my powers of empathy were unfocussed, and I kind of… fried? Fried. Fried his brain."

"Really," he nodded, blanching.

"Yeah. The worst part was… was that he didn't even do anything wrong. They took him off the street to be a subject of a training exercise for Demeter. He was innocent, and I killed him. I don't even know his name."

I sat on the wide chaise lounge on the other side of the room and hid my face in my hands while I composed myself. Bruce stayed where he was while I calmed myself, but after a moment he approached me. I pushed back onto the chaise a little further and curled up against the back rest.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. I just needed a moment to come back to myself. Are you feeling alright? You look tired."

"I am, but I'll live." He smirked at his own joke and I rolled my eyes. Bruce sat next to me on the chaise lounge and stretched his legs out, looking down at me.

"What?" I asked. I pushed my hair behind my ears and shifted as my damp skin stuck to the dressing gown. I hadn't even bothered to dry off.

"Nothing, it's nothing. Glad you're okay," he commented shyly. I looked away.

"You too," I returned. "Come on, we'd better go; I need to get dressed, and we need to go get something to eat before you fall over."

Bruce followed me out, but while I went to the ship, he went in search of the boys. I felt exposed in only the dressing gown, my hair curling and damp. My bare feet were cold on the bifrost, and I double timed it over to the loading dock.

I dressed with the assumption that Odin and Frigga would want to have a feast, in a floor-length black skirt and plain white t-shirt. I knew _exactly_ what that t-shirt did for me however; I'd used it in enough interrogations. It had as unassuming v-neck which seemed perfectly modest until I sat beside someone or leaned over; then it gave the intended target a perfect peek at my breasts.

Sif may have been perfectly civil earlier, but I knew the hidden threat behind her speech; she meant to put me on my guard. She intended to fight me for Bruce, and while our motivations may not have been the same, I certainly wasn't going to lose to Warrior Barbie.

I slid on my battered black flats that had been with me so long they looked like they'd been through a war, and headed for the banquet room. When I got there, Fandral was waiting by the door, standing at attention.

"Ah, Lady Catharine," he said, bowing to me. "I have been sent by Prince Thor to escort you. We are meeting in Her Majesty's private parlour for a more intimate celebration."

"Oh. Well, thank you Fandral," I gave him a curtsy and took the arm he offered.

"Have you any idea how long you will be staying with us on Asgard?" he asked as we moved along the corridor. "The Warriors Three should like to host our own celebration in honour of our victory—perhaps a hunt in the grove?"

"I'm sure that would be lovely," I nodded, having Marie Antoinette-like visions of horses and picnics in the forest, "But you would have to ask Director Fury. He is our captain, as it were."

"I will do that," he beamed at me.

We entered the parlour to find just about everyone assembled (internal giggle at Avengers joke). There was another massive marble fireplace, and a buffet-style feast lined up—big surprise who was taking advantage of that. There were elegantly upholstered settees and about a dozen low stools around matching tables. There were also enormous throw pillows the size of tractor tires scattered about. Tony had claimed two of them, one for him and one for his feet, and was throwing grapes up in the air and catching them in his mouth.

"Ah, Lady Catharine," Frigga approached me in her elegant floaty way and smiled serenely at me. "I hope you are feeling better."

"I am, thank you your majesty," I curtsied again and smiled. "I think we all feel better. I can't thank you enough for your hospitality."

"Anything for the heroes of two realms," the queen smiled graciously, floating back over to there the king sat in a large golden armchair.

Fandral left me after I assured him he needn't escort me all night, and I took the opportunity to observe everyone:

Thor and Jane were nowhere to be found, and I wasn't surprised. Sue and Reed were sitting at a quiet table with Matt and Steve, the Invisible Woman's head resting on her husband's shoulder. Fury and Maria were sitting with Clint and Natasha—I would give just about anything to a fly on the wall for that awkward-looking conversation. Tony was zoned, Darcy was currently drinking The Warriors Three under the table, and—where was Bruce? My stomach flipped painfully when I realised Sif was not with her battle buddies. Oh god.

I stood there frozen for I don't know how long, until eventually there was a creak from one of the connecting doors and Bruce slid back into the room, running one hand through his already messy hair. I narrowed my eyes; his shirt was buttoned wrong. About two minutes later Sif emerged, looking perfectly put together. She saw me watching and flashed me a smirk. I felt my blood boil.

Approaching Bruce, who was now leaning up against the pillar next to Tony and conversing quietly, I push Iron Man's feet off his second 'beanbag' and curl up on it myself. I know this puts me nearly under Bruce's nose, and I lean back to show off the fabulous neckline that comes with my shirt. I'm gratified to hear him choke on nothing and watch his ears turn pink.

"How are you feeling, Tony? The suit got pretty banged up," I commented.

Tony put his sock feet in my lap. "I'm feeling good, sweet cheeks, but that's probably because I've already had two glasses of mead. How about you?"

"I haven't had any mead," I told him. "But I'm fine, just the same."

"That's nice," he sighed, leaning back to rest his head on the too-short back of the 'bean bag'.

"Bruce, have you had something to eat?" I asked, raising a brow at him. Bruce looked embarrassed and scuttled off in the direction of the buffet. I give Tony a smirk.

"Congratulations, you've got the man who is the Hulk trained to have a Pavlovian response every time you raise an eyebrow."

I shrugged, "It's a skill." Tony barks out a laugh.

"Now seriously, Cat, I don't want to piss you off, believe me, but that Sif has got it in for you."

"Pardon?"

Tony winced. "She came in here all sexy and confident and dragged him into the other room, and you saw how he looked when he came out. She's trying to clam jam you!"

"Clam what?"

"Clam jam. Female equivalent of cock block."

"That's just… bad." I shook my head at the bad turn of phrase.

"You're telling me," Tony said. "I work with the guy, and I can tell you having the ability to Hulk out and take him is a huge weight off his shoulders. Do you think Queen of Sheba over there can do that?" He winked at me. "There's a bottle of tequila in the bottom drawer of my work bench. Go get it, take the good doctor into your room and don't let him out until he can't remember his own name, let alone hers."

"Who knew you were such a romantic, Tony?" I said wryly.

"I just want to see him happy. He's my friend."

I nodded and got up. Approaching Bruce quietly, I said, "I'm sure you're hungry after everything you've been doing this morning." I did my best to focus on the Asgard sunrise before me instead of him.

"Huh?" he asked.

"You and Sif. In that other room."

"Oh, no, Catharine, god—I didn't, well, that is she tried, but—"

"But?" I tried to fight the rising feeling in my chest. I was disgusted that all of my hopes depended on that one word.

"Well, she mostly just… jumped me. I had to fight her off, but… she's a warrior… it took me a while." Bruce blushed and I smiled, looking through my lashes at him.

"How would you feel Dr Banner," I whispered, so close that my chest was pressed against his arm, "If you knew that Sif wasn't the only one who wanted to jump you tonight?"

"As long as it's you and I don't have to dodge any other advances," He sighed as though our sex life were very bothersome.

"It's me, I assure you." I grabbed him by the front of the shirt and pulled him with me toward the door. Just about everyone was engrossed in conversation or staring tiredly at walls, so we weren't whistled at by anyone but Tony. "We have to make a quick stop," I told Bruce, leading him to Tony's workshop and bending over the bottom drawer of the desk. I revelled in the low groan I heard. "Here we are." I pulled out a mostly-full bottle of Jose Quervo and smiled.

I gasped and bolted upright as Bruce pressed himself up against my back. He ran his hands down my waist to my hips, curling his fingers around the jut of the bones and squeezing. I groaned and leaned on him fully. "We shouldn't," I warned as he begins to kiss behind my ear.

"Can't wait," he panted back.

0oOo0

**Bruce POV**

I was almost grateful for the Other Guy`s animal aggression when I was with Catharine. He had all the good ideas, the ones that made her make this delicious keening sound and arch her back.

I knew doing this in Tony`s lab was a bad idea, considering that mine was right next door, but there was something about claiming her in Iron Man`s temporary abode that smacked of dominance. And I knew the Other Guy was a big fan of that.

I turned Catharine around and pressed her up against the work bench, barely giving her any space to hitch a breath. Her hands spread across the edge of the bench, and mine reached to cover them. Our chests pressed together and she kissed me.

She'd barely been at the party twenty minutes, but that white tee shirt had been driving me wild for nineteen of them. I pulled the neck of it down with my teeth and dragged my teeth through the hollow between her breasts.

Luckily all that was near us were papers and inexpensive tools, so when I pushed it all to the floor and lifted Catharine onto it, I didn't break anything. She smiled and beckoned me up with one crooked finger. I hopped up between her knees and pulled her skirt off, tossing it over the other side of the bench. Catharine wasn't idle, making quick work of my zip and pushing boxers and trousers over my hips.

As I pushed into her, she moaned and asked breathlessly, "Are there… oh… security cameras in here?"

"Yeah, but they don't work," I replied as I began to thrust and she arched beneath me. "Tony doesn't like to be watched."

"Lucky for us," she sighed.

That was all the talking we did for a while, but when we were laying side by side on the work bench, Catharine unscrewed the top from the tequila bottle and turned to me. "We cheated death today—I think that calls for some liquid celebration."

All the little voices in my head that weren't big and green told me this was a bad idea, but I was high on endorphins and she raised her eyebrows at me in a tempting gesture, and…

"You are pure evil," I commented as I sat up on one elbow and took a sip form the bottle. It burned going down and I coughed a little.

"What part of that comes as a shock?"

I knew she was making a joke, but I couldn't help but remember the day she told me she didn't feel bad for doing the job she did. Was she really so cavalier about human life? I'd spent all my time trying to improve people's lives since I became the Hulk, trying to make up for my sins; could I really make it work with someone like her?


	17. Chapter 17

**Two lovely anonymous reviews came my way from last chapter, and I wanted to say thanks to them, as well as to Bloody-WhiteRoseDM, whose review totally made my life. Thanks!**

**Also, sorry about the wait, I was playing Mary Bennet in **_**Pride and Prejudice**_** this week and last and I have had NO time.**

Thor elected to return to Midgard with Jane, despite his parents' wish that he stay for a proper visit. Fury turned down the Warriors Three's offer to take them hunting, much to Clint's displeasure.

"Next time, big guy," he said, slapping Volstagg on the shoulder. Volstagg returned the favour, nearly toppling the archer.

We were back on our way home the next evening. Everyone was still recovering from the battle—most everyone was sleeping or indulging in comfort food, and Tony was feverishly trying to repair his suit.

Bruce and I hadn't spent any time together since the time on Tony's work bench—I had the feeling he was avoiding me, so for the sake of group peace, I avoided him right back. We were all getting prepared for returning to our normal lives, after all.

It was my normal life that worried me. I was expected back in Israel post haste, and I wanted to return to my job. However, I didn't know how my life would continue with my new friends so far away.

"Hey," I said, walking into Tony's lab. He was alone, which put an end to my suspicions that he was staging an encounter between Bruce and I. "You radioed?"

"Yeah," he nodded, fidgeting with his research papers. "Jane's on her way too."

"What for? Tony, you're starting to worry me."

"I'm fine."

"Hi you guys, what's up?" Jane entered the room in her ratty old jeans and one of Thor's Midgardian shirts. I rolled my eyes at her and she blushed.

"I needed your opinions. As women," Tony began haltingly. When Jane and I just stared, he continued, "I'm sort of thinking… aw, hell… I'm thinking about asking Pepper to marry me."

"Awe, Tony!" Jane cried, pecking him on the cheek.

"Congratulations." I smiled. "But why does this merit a super-secret meeting in your fort of science?"

"Because I need your advice on how to pop the question." He answered. "Now, I was thinking—I'd get on the suit, fly her up to my place in the Poconos, have music and candlelight—"

"No," I interrupted.

"What? I thought that sounded nice!"

"It's nice, Tony, but you don't need to show off for her. Pepper doesn't love you because you're rich and famous—she loves you in spite of that."

Jane giggled and nodded.

"So, what are you saying?"

"Don't make this a Tony Stark event—make it a Pepper Potts event."

0oOo0

Pepper was waiting for us when we disembarked the Midgard later that week. Tony positively lit up when he saw her, and I spared them a mushy little smile.

"Hey, Pep," he grinned, hugging her and twirling her around. Pepper laughed. "How did you know we were back?"

"I had the agents monitoring you frequency call me the moment you entered the atmosphere," the CEO shrugged. "Then I got on the plane. It's waiting out front for when you've all debriefed."

"Excellent. Everyone—to the Tower!" Tony demanded, one finger pointing towards the sky. "We can all get cleaned up and get some actual sleep, then re-evaluate whenever we wake up."

"Not just yet, if you please, Stark," Fury clapped one hand on Iron Man's shoulder and turned him in the direction of his lab. "I want full mission reports from all of you. Type it, write it out, record it, I don't care if you use crayon for Christ sakes, just get it to me before you leave."

Everyone grumbled and meandered off to write their reports. The girls, minus Sue (who'd been sticking really close to Reed since her 'death') all parked themselves in my office.

"I want details." Pepper demanded at once.

Jane launched into the story, with heavy emphasis on meeting Thor's parents. After she'd been speaking for a while, her eyes wandered to her friend and assistant. "Darcy, what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm writing my report," Darcy replied primly, looking up from her paper. "Fury said we could use crayon."

"But I don't think he was expecting a comic strip," Pepper commented, twisting to read over Darcy's shoulder. "'The Continuing Adventures of The Avengers and their super friends'. Cute."

"I'm hoping Fury'll frame it."

I just laughed and started typing again. Jane moved on to the feasts and then to the battle. When she got to Mistress Death's role, Pepper interrupted.

"Wait, THE UNIVERSE ENDED?" She asked. "Honestly, I sleep one night, and the universe ends. Why wasn't this on the news?"

"I expect because no one was entirely aware of what happened," Natasha supplied. "We were informed of the situation because our dead had been healed and our injuries mended. Everyone else in the universe was gone one minute and replaced back where they had been the next. Most people probably didn't even notice."

"That's good and terrifying." Pepper shuddered.

Darcy, of course, was finished last because she needed to finish colouring in, so we all waited and went together to deliver our reports. Steve was coming out of the Director's office as we approached, and he offered to wait and 'escort us'. Darcy giggled and Nat rolled her eyes.

"Thanks Steve, but I think we can manage. You're coming to the tower right?" Pepper asked kindly.

"I don't know, Miss Potts; I wasn't invited."

"Well, now I'm inviting you. Get your things, soldier." Pepper saluted and followed us into the office.

Coulson was there when we walked in, and he turned in his seat to give us his signature bland smile.

"Agent Romanoff, Dr Foster, Miss Lewis, Miss Krueger," Fury addressed each one of us, and I had a feeling we were being recorded for posterity. "I trust you're finished writing your reports?"

"Yes sir." Natasha said, collecting our folders and setting them on the desk, Darcy's first. I felt some bubbling amusement and tilted my head to get a good look at Agent Coulson; his face was passive but he was looking at Darcy's artistic accounting of events and I could feel the smile, even if he didn't show it.

Fury looked at the edge of the colourful page that was sticking out of the manila folder for a moment before commenting. "…Thank you. Ladies, you're dismissed. Get some rest."

We were filing out when he called me back. I strode confidently back to stand before his desk, my heartbeat racing in my ears. "Miss Krueger, now that this mission is completed, you are free to return to your post in Tel Aviv. A flight can be booked for you at your earliest convenience."

"Thank you Director," I nodded once. "I'll need the afternoon to pack."

"Certainly." With that, Fury turned his body to face his computer, and I took that as my dismissal.

"Agent Coulson," I said as the man stood up to shake my hand. "It's been a pleasure."

"Likewise, Miss Krueger."

Neither of us commented on my latent sarcasm, though we both knew it was there. Neither of us very much appreciated S.H.I.E.L.D's penchant for taking advantage of people, but we both knew we worked toward the greater good in general, even if it did involve more blood than some other jobs.

I left the office and headed to the ship to collect my things. Nearly three weeks on a space ship can really make you settle into a place, and that was what I realised as I looked around my room on board the Midgard. My suitcase was nearly unpacked, though most of it was strewn in the office chair and piled neatly over the top of the closet door. My training officer, Michael, always said I was a lazy anal-retentive, if such a thing existed.

I began small, packing up the earrings and odds and ends into a small wooden box and tucking it, along with my makeup kit, into the bottom of my Mary Poppins-esque carpet bag. Next went the shoes, half a dozen pairs in mostly neutral colours and varying heel heights. Then the stuff that was well and truly dirty and would need my washing machine badly when I got home, and on top of that a sheet of tissue paper. So what, I'm a girly packer. Don't even pretend Tony doesn't have whoever packs his shit do the same. And I happen to know his is _scented_.

On top of the tissue paper I laid out everything that I either didn't wear or the items that could probably be worn once more before they hit the wash, then piled in my curling iron, straightener and blow dryer on top of all that. I looked around, collecting baubles that I'd missed; a worn copy of _Jane Eyre_, a stray hair tie, and an anthology of last year's _Physics Quarterly_—that wasn't mine. It must be Bruce's. _Shit, why did he have to move something of his in here? It's not like we're the reading in bed type anyway!_

I have done a lot of things and I've never been much afraid of anyone or anything—my training dictated that I look chaos right in the face and tell it to fuck off. But when it came to human interaction, I was a coward. I'd never been much for the proper boyfriend, and I'd never been in love—at least, not the lasting kind. So I guess I've been in lust, then. And every boy I'd ever been with was a fellow trainee or a foreign operative, during which I was either myself or an Officer of Mossad, and there had been no need for goodbyes. If I could, I would have simply left without any goodbyes to anyone. But superheroes had a way of endearing themselves to you, and I didn't want Bruce to be looking for this book—oh hell, who was I kidding? I liked him, and I liked them, but in very different ways.

I hauled the bag off the bed and shuffled down to Bruce's room. The door was closed and I knocked. It swung open after a few minutes, revealing Bruce with two pairs of shoes in his hands and a suitcase on the bed behind him.

"Hey," he said, as if he hadn't been expecting me. "I see you're all packed."

"You left this in my room," I said, thrusting the magazine out. If he would just take it and we could shake hands and agree never to speak of this again, we could both get over it. Come on, how many men had she and Natasha slept with in the line of duty who we'd liked at least a bit? We'd meet in some neutral city between Israel and wherever she was, drown our sorrows in the local alcoholic beverage of choice, and get the fuck over ourselves. This could be the same. It could.

"…Thanks." Bruce nodded, tossing one of the pairs of shoes into the bag and taking it from me. "Have you been invited to Stark Tower for team bonding?"

I smirked at his tone. "No—that's generally reserved for members of the team. I'm not an Avenger, despite our recently completed mission."

Bruce's brow furrowed and he nodded his head. "Right. So, home, then?"

"Yeah, Fury's booking me a flight." I didn't meet his eyes and he didn't meet mine; we were both cowards. "You're… you didn't expect me to come, did you?"

"I did expect Tony would invite you," Bruce admitted, "But it's perfectly possible that he has Pepper… sequestered right now, so he probably would have gotten to you in a couple of hours." We both laughed a little.

"Well, it's been a pleasure working with you, Dr Banner. And… the other stuff." I shifted my bag and offered him my hand. Bruce threw the last of his things in his case and shook it, finally looking me in the eye.

"Likewise. And, you know, I'll probably be hanging around Stark Tower for a while; Tony says he needs the Other Guy to test some of his body armour for the new suit… so look us up if you're ever around the continental US."

I smiled, close lipped, and took my hand back. "Right. I'll remember that." With a nod that was far more confident than I felt, I turned and headed to find Darcy to say goodbye.

**DUN DUN DUUUUUN. Yeah. Denial AND angst. I think I'm getting better at this. There'll be one more chapter where things are pear shaped, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel, people! PS, I need to disclaim a line I stole from The Ugly Truth. Watched it this weekend and had it in my head.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Everything I wrote about Catharine's medical procedure is true—however, it is not a sure method, only working about 45% of the time. Also, it is not proven to prevent pregnancy, but I took a little artistic license. So sue me.**

**Disclaimer: That 'so sue me' was rhetorical, please don't. It is all Stan's, and we love him for it.**

I'd been home for less than thirty six hours when I got an email from Darcy.

To: officerckrueger

From: dlewis

Subject: Tele-friend in Tel Aviv

_Hey Cath,_

_ How's home? Did they miss you? I don't really know anything about your friends there, but I hope they missed you because you're awesome. _

_ We all miss you already, naturally. But the other night Tony actually grew the nads to ask Pepper to marry him. So, as I was told, he took your advice and made it an event for Pepper. He rented a hot air balloon and anchored it to the roof of the Tower, and brought her up there once we'd all gone to bed._

_ Pepper said she'd never been so surprised in her life—the great Tony Stark asking her to settle down with him? But of course she said yes and is now wearing a gorgeous three carat diamond solitaire which makes me desperately jealous. _

_ There's not a lot of other gossip from around here, except that Natasha and Clint really don't need the two rooms they've got here—she spends all her time in his anyway. Same with Jane and Thor, but then that's not really a surprise. Sue and Reed went back to the Baxter Building after a few nights with us, and Pepper invited them to dinner next week. Matt thinks he might stick around, and that's useful, since he can tell when Clint's up in the rafters somewhere waiting to spear a bagel, etc._

_ Although I miss you DESPERATELY, I think the doc misses you more. I haven't seen Banner since you left—Tony's covering, saying they're working on some stuff that's really important, but I think the truth is that he refuses to leave the lab. Don't wanna be a downer, but leaving was a dick move. _

_Anyway, can't wait to hear from you._

_Love Darcy_

I sighed; Darcy's rambling style of speech came through in her emails and she exhausts me even from a continent away. I opened a new window to reply to her, but no words would come—I was thinking about what she'd said about Bruce.

Surely he wasn't holing himself up in the lab because of me? Perhaps he'd never done the friends with benefits thing? He was obviously having trouble reconciling the sex with the lack of emotional attachment.

And there was _no_ emotional attachment. I am not attached, I am NOT attached… fuck, I'm attached. I'd only been home for a day and I missed them all already. Pepper and Tony were engaged and I wasn't there to congratulate them; I wasn't there to tease Jane about her and Thor's marathon of sex; I wasn't there to drag Bruce out of his work and make him eat something.

Shit.

But I wouldn't go running back to New York like a fool. We were nearly strangers, really—I didn't know anything about him or him about me. We'd just had sex a few times, and now it was done. But I couldn't stop thinking about him, worrying about him.

But I wouldn't go back to New York. I couldn't, even if I wanted to—I had a job, and three sessions in the next four days. I was back where I belonged, and I needed to accept that I wasn't an Avenger, and I wasn't a S.H.I.E.L.D agent—I'd made very sure of that.

I sighed, closing my email message—I'd write Darcy later, but now I needed to go hit something.

0oOo0

**Bruce POV**

She'd been gone a month before Tony mentioned it—frankly I was surprised that he'd lasted this long. He'd been getting progressively more fidgety around me for weeks.

"So Darcy mentioned the other day that she's been emailing back and forth with Catharine." He said nonchalantly, bent over his newest briefcase suit.

"Oh," I nodded, even though I was facing away from him. "And… how- how is she?"

"Good, I think. Darcy said she doesn't talk about anything specific, but I suppose she can't—she's part of the 'it's classified' brigade."

"Yeah, I guess she is."

"Seriously Bruce, it's been a month—are you going to wallow and sulk for the rest of your life—"

"I might," I replied idly.

"I wasn't done," Tony snapped. "Are you going to sulk, or are you going to pester me for my jet and fly to Israel and get her back?"

"Why would I do that? She doesn't want me to win her back—basically I was being used for sex, and I was okay with that at the time. Now it's over."

"You are such a man whore." Tony scoffed. "I'd be proud if it weren't so pathetic. Trust me on this, Big Man, with her, there's no tiptoeing. You and Jolly Green both strut, just like I said you should."

"Is this conversation happening so you can tell me you were right?" I asked. This was Tony, after all, and I wouldn't put it past him to stage an elaborate exchange just so he could show off.

"No! Well, not initially. But I was right, you know. And when that Lady Sif was all up in your business, fair Catharine looked like she would have happily shot her."

"You're delusional." I sighed, going back to my work. I wouldn't let myself believe—it was too painful.

0oOo0

"Hey, you're gonna be here for a while, right?" Tony asked me a week later, poking his head in the lab.

"Probably. Why?" I replied.

"I'm going to a meeting, but everyone needs to stay out of the halls because apparently Fury's bringing some people who are all top-secret and shit."

"_You're _going to a meeting?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Under great protest." Tony rolled his eyes.

0oOo0

**Catharine POV**

I sat down in an expensively padded chair in Tony's private office. It was practically devoid of all personal touches, leading me to believe that it wasn't used much. Given what I knew of Tony, I automatically assumed my theory to be correct.

We'd only gone up in the elevator to the fifty seventh floor—I have no idea why Tony would put his office half way up his own tower, but having it all the way down here virtually guaranteed that it was a long elevator ride from his living quarters and R & D, which took up the top thirteen floors.

Fury stood beside me, hands behind his back and posture military straight, while Coulson sat on my right, flipping through some paperwork and looking perfectly relaxed.

Tony breezed in the door, slamming it behind him and announcing loudly, "Alright, Fury, I'm a very busy man, what do you and the suits need now?" he went to sit behind the impressive oak desk and was halfway lowered into his chair by the time he saw me. "Catharine!" he cried happily, standing up and butt-sliding across the desk to my side and pull me into a hug. "I had no idea you were coming back! You'd think Darcy would have mentioned something."

"I didn't tell her." I explained. "I didn't want her… well, rallying the troops, so to speak." Our eyes met and I saw understanding—I hadn't mentioned anything to Darcy because I didn't want her to spread the word. If I'd given advanced warning, the chance of me 'running into' Bruce was severely handicapped.

"Well, it's nice to see you." He said seriously. "Mossad treating you good?"

"Well, actually that's what Director Fury wanted to talk to you about," I answered, sitting back down and gesturing to the man in question.

"Stark, Mossad is willing to lend Miss Krueger to us on a more permanent basis for the purposes of training my agents and acting as a second handler to the Avengers. However, this liaison position depends heavily on the belief that she may be useful." Fury began.

"And I'll need a place to sleep." I winked at Tony, who smirked.

"Indeed. Agent Coulson has already agreed to let Miss Krueger train under him. Now the decision falls to you and the Avengers."

"We want her." He nodded immediately. "If anything, she adds to the hotness quotient in this building. Could you go all 'High School Confidential' on my biology department? Sometimes those guys need a little incentive."

"I'd be happy to." I smiled, shaking my head.

"Unfortunately, Mossad's contract requires consent from all the Avengers, and signatures to that effect," Fury informed him. "You cannot answer for everyone."

Tony whistled. "Damn, Cath, those Israeli guys drive a hard bargain."

"Well, they don't want to lose me—they're convinced that S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't have enough pull to make all the Avengers sign."

"Then they're mistaken." He shot back smartly. "I'll call a team meeting and we'll get that contract signed."

Fury nodded and he and Coulson headed for the door.

"Do you have anywhere I can wait?" I asked quietly. "I just don't want them to be… pressured because I'm already in the building."

Tony looked at me for a full fifteen seconds. "If you get in the elevator, tell JARVIS to take you to the ballroom. It hasn't been completely renovated since Loki blew it to shit, so nobody'll be up there. They just put the new windows in."

"Thanks," I nodded, peeling off from the group.

0oOo0

**Bruce POV**

Tony called a meeting around one, even though there were no 'ASSEMBLE' text messages. I saved all my documents and meandered my way up to our conference room on the ninety fifth floor. Natasha, Clint and Steve were already there, and Thor had joined me in the elevator, but where was Tony?

My own mental inquiry was answered when he came in followed by Fury and Coulson. Uh oh. We all sat down and looked to Fury. He, however, looked to Phil. Although Fury was the director, we had more day to day contact with Phil. If we were going to be given bad news, then I'd rather it came from him.

"I have some…news." Coulson began. "It's not bad news," he assured us all. "It's about Catharine Krueger."

Every eye in the room turned on me. I felt my entire body heat with embarrassment and stared at my hands. Thankfully Coulson didn't let the uncomfortable silence last for too long. "Officer Krueger is going to be loaned to S.H.I.E.L.D on a semi-permanent basis to train new agents and to act as my second in command in the Avengers Initiative. However, Mossad has a few stipulations."

"Stipulations?" Steve asked.

"They need all of you to sign a statement attesting to the fact that you wouldn't mind having her as a liaison between Mossad and S.H.I.E.L.D. Are you all okay with that?"

Again, everyone looked at me. I sighed and forced my gaze up to focus on Phil.

"Of course." I said, and the whole room took a breath.

"You heard him, let's sign this thing and get her back." Clint said, slapping the table with one hand.

Phil opened the file he'd been holding and flipped through the contract and stipulations to the statement of intent.

"Everyone sign on one of the lines."

We all crowded around the paper, scribbling our names then going back to our afternoons. Tony put one hand on my arm at the door.

"Don't ask questions—get in the elevator and go to the eighty ninth floor."

He stared at me as if mentally willing me to understand. He nodded once, then let me go. I decided to follow my friend's directions, since he'd never looked at me so seriously before. Once I was in the elevator, I turned to the ceiling.

"JARVIS, what is on the eighty ninth floor?"

"That is the ballroom, Dr Banner." JARVIS replied.

"I don't understand."

"I believe, sir, that you will see what Mr Stark wishes you to see when you enter." The doors opened and I walked into a half-finished ballroom.

I knew most of Stark Tower hadn't been completely redone yet—it had been less than a year since the battle—and Loki had done a very thorough job of destroying a lot of it. Plastic sheeting and scaffolds stood in a miniature cityscape comparable to the one outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. My footsteps were muted on the concrete that was covered with drop cloths. After dodging a few tarps and searching for something worth seeing, I saw her: and my heart stopped.

She looked different than the last time I saw her; her skin was a healthier shade, I suspected due to makeup, since her arms weren't as tanned, and her curly hair had been straightened. She was all dressed up for her meeting with Fury in a plain black dress and completely insensible shoes.

Catharine paced up and down in front of the newly installed windows, playing with her necklace. She hadn't noticed me yet and I let myself smile gently as I observed her. After a moment, I composed myself and cleared my throat.

"Oh… hello." She smiled nervously.

"Hi." I replied.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Tony."

"Of course." She sighed.

"How-how've you been?" I asked.

"Um, good. Good. Busy. Apparently in my absence my sessions piled up."

"Is that what you call them?" I asked.

"Usually."

I nodded.

"How have you been?" she asked.

"Alright."

"I'm glad." The pause got awkward before she looked away. "Look, I'm… I'm sorry about before. Everything got so busy, then I started to think about how we were, and I thought it might be best it I didn't call… I thought if I wasn't there, you could find something else. Something more meaningful."

"I can't have meaningful, Catharine, you know that. It's too dangerous."

"It's not, Bruce, and I think you know it's not. We had sex, and we fought a couple times. That's basically a relationship without the fluffy parts. You've been afraid of everything and hiding behind the Other Guy for so long, you can't see how far you've come!"

"I'm not hiding behind the Hulk, I'm trying to keep in front of him!" I cried.

"That's not true, Bruce! You're in control, and I think I've been around you long enough to know!"

"YOU KNOW NOTHING!" I roared, pushing her against the wall and holding her neck. "I am always angry!"

"You don't think I know that?" She whispered. "I can feel it every time you're near Bruce and I understand how it terrifies you. But if you find someone who cares enough about you to want to help, then you can stop being so damned afraid!"

"Shut up, just… shut up." I demanded. I stepped up so my body was pressed against her. I could see her pupils dilate and her breath hitch. "What do you want, Catharine?"

I felt her chest rise as she pulled in a breath. She didn't say anything, but her eyes were glassy and I knew that look. In my head the Other Guy roared in satisfaction. I kissed her, hard, and she kissed me back. When her lips were red and plump from kissing, I began again, this time letting my hands fall down her waist and around her bottom, and I pulled her hips up against mine. Catharine pulled her mouth away from mine and gasped out, "Where's your room?"

"Too far," I answered, backing away from her and pulling one of the drop cloths off the wall onto the floor. She smirked at me and turned so I could unzip her dress. She slid it off, sleeves turning inside out in her haste. She turned to me in her angelic white under things and began unbuttoning my shirt. I kissed down her jaw to behind her ear. Catharine abandoned my shirt in favour of my belt, and I was exposed from below the waist in record time.

We lay down together and she used my jacket as her pillow. Her heels made an echoing clatter as she kicked them across the room. I left her bra on, going to the 'main event'. Her whispered encouragements in my ear made me think she didn't mind.

For a few moments after I entered her, we froze, just waiting for each other to adjust. It had been nearly six weeks… at least for me. The thought that she had been with anyone else, even if it was work related, made me want to stop, but that ended and the Other Guy was satisfied when she sighed and whispered against my shoulder.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too," I admitted, not looking at her. I closed my eyes and began to move. She sighed again, pulling me closer.

It didn't take long for either of us—I'd been on a sort of 'roll' when we were having sex on a regular basis, but now both of us were too eager to be worried about lasting.

Afterward, laying beneath the drop cloth, I said quietly, "This doesn't change anything."

"What?" she asked, turning from our view of Midtown to face me.

"I still can't give you what you want."

"And what do you think I want?" Catharine looked at me like I was a small child and I was very amusing.

"A life, a family…" I hesitated as she laughed.

"Oh, Bruce," she sighed. "I have a life. I don't want you to marry me or pledge everlasting love or anything so ridiculous. I've missed you, and this, and that's what I want."

"But what about the future? The possibility of marriage still arises… and children…"

"I can't have children, Bruce." She told me as if I was an idiot. "Didn't you ever wonder why I never asked you to use protection?"

I thought back and a stone sunk in my stomach as I realised we could have gotten pregnant on any of those previous occasions. Even today.

"It never… occurred," I admitted. "You're very distracting."

"Well thank you," she smiled coyly. "It was part of my training. It's called endometrial ablation."

"What?" I sat up a little more to look her straight in the eyes.

"If I have no menstrual cycle, I can work all the time. I don't have to put off any missions that involve seduction because of my period." she explained. "And it's about five to seven more days a month they can use me, instead of having to wait while I watch girl films and eat my weight in ice cream."

"I just can't believe they did that to you. Didn't it hurt?"

"Very much. I had to undergo a second ablation to finish what the first one started, and there are significant deep tissue burns, but it's all healed now."

"So… no children." I concluded. It made me feel better, knowing there was no way we could have created a _tiny_ green rage monster.

"No." she studied me for a few minutes. "You're relieved."

I thought about denying it, but this was Catharine—she didn't operate like other women. She would understand.

"I am. The thought of you and I… and the child inheriting their very own Hulk…"

"Ah. You're guilt complex would never let you forgive yourself." She smirked. "In that case, I'm relieved as well."

I scoffed out a laugh. There were things we needed to talk about still, though. Not just the future, but the immediate past.

"Darcy told me you were sequestering yourself in the lab for days at a time." She confessed.

"Darcy's been spying on me?" I asked.

"She passes on the gossip. At the end of every email, she'd add a little bit of information about what you were up to. She also told me leaving was a… ah yes, a 'dick move'."

"It was." I affirmed. "Why did you go only to come back six weeks later?"

"I wasn't supposed to come back at all." She defended. "I was going to go home and drown my sorrows and you would never see me again. We'd move on. But I couldn't. That's why I called Fury and offered my services as a liaison. You did sign the papers, didn't you?"

"Of course I did. I didn't move on either, and I know you'd do well here."

"Is that all?"

"No," I replied. "Catharine, I tried to let it go, I really did, but you… well, we didn't really properly say goodbye. We got back to Earth, and a few hours later you're shaking my hand and thanking me for the sex? It bothered me. And I want you here. In the Tower."

Catharine smiled. "It just so happens Tony thought the same thing. Once my paperwork goes through, I'll be staying here almost permanently. I'll still go home for progress reports and for special cases that require my attention, but other than that I'm all yours."

I pulled her closer. "Good."


	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry everyone, I was on holiday the past two weeks, and my wheels fell off.**

My things were packed and sent special delivery to my room at Stark Tower, and I was gainfully employed within a week. Tony had given me a place on the floor above the Avengers, where Coulson actually had a crash pad as well.

My room was actually three; a parlour and bedroom separated by tall double doors, and an attached bath with a tub bigger than my entire bathroom in Mossad. I spent my first morning unpacking and hanging up my clothes. They barely made a dent in the massive closet, so I put my shoes and jewelry inside it as well. It helped me feel more at home. If all went well, I'd be in New York for a while.

There was a knock at the door around noon.

"Come in!" I called, busy sitting on the bathroom floor putting away my makeup in the myriad of drawers.

"Hey," Bruce said, leaning up against the door jamb. "Settling in okay?"

"Yeah," I smiled, tucking my hair behind my ear. It was curly and crazy again, and I saw his gaze drift down my back, eyeing it in appreciation.

"Hungry?" Bruce asked.

"Sure. Want to get some lunch?" I asked, struggling to my feet.

"Yeah—a bunch of us were going to order Chinese. Got anything special you like?" We began to walk toward the door and down the hall toward the elevator.

"I don't think so. Just get the regulars." I smiled. We got into the elevator and went up a floor, where I heard Thor talking to Darcy about the funny names of the Chinese dishes.

"I do not understand, Lady Darcy," Thor said from his spot on the sofa. "If it is simply noodles, beef and vegetables, why is it called Lo Mein?"

"Because not everyone on Earth speaks English, Thor," Darcy explained patiently as Bruce and I came in and sat down. We sat next to each other. Go figure. "Some people speak a language called Mandarin, and in Mandarin the dish is called Lo Mein."

"Ah, I see. Much like Lady Catharine and her strange languages." Thor looked at me and I nodded; he'd caught me singing Juliette Greco aboard the Midgard, and I'd had to explain as best I could.

"Exactly." Jane nodded encouragingly. She was sitting next to her boyfriend on the sofa, his massive arm around her slim shoulders.

There was a fight over who would get on the telephone and order the food, since no one wanted to dial and talk to someone. Eventually Steve rolled his eyes and stalked off with the cordless phone, muttering about 'super-human children'. Natasha and Darcy smirked at each other once he was out of sight—they'd planned this, I could feel her satisfaction.

Tony arrived about twenty minutes after the food did, and he stopped dead in the doorway.

"What's this?" he asked, scandalised. "I'm downstairs working like a dog—"

"Firing lasers at Matt to test his reflexes," Clint called from on top of the bar behind us.

"And you're here spending my hard earned money on FOOD?"

There was a three second pause until Darcy offered him a container. "We got you Wontons."

"Okay." He nodded, plopping down on the floor.

0oOo0

That night, I was tossing and turning in my bed alone. Bruce and I didn't always sleep in his room—when he'd spent most of the day with Tony, both Bruce and the Other Guy needed some time alone.

I flicked my phone on and powered around twitter for a while, then sat up and threw off the covers. While I'd been waiting for my things to arrive at the Tower, Bruce and I often slept in his bed. We usually ended up enabling each other's insomnia to the point where we'd be up reading and watching films until daybreak. _Maybe he's awake as well._ I picked up the phone again and sent him a BBM.

**OfficerCath: Are you awake? Can't sleep.**

I had just set the phone on the bed next to me when the screen lit up and the little red light blinked.

**BBanner: Me neither. Craving pancakes.**

"Ohhh," I groaned aloud as I typed a reply;

**OfficerCath: Merde. Thanks, Bruce, now I want some.**

**BBanner: :D I think I saw some pancake mix in the groceries Pepper had delivered. Pyjama party?**

I laughed and responded:

**OfficerCath: Meet you in the kitchen.**

I left my room, barefoot, in my knee-length white thermal sweater, and headed for the kitchen. Bruce was on the floor above me, where the kitchen was, so he was there before me. In fact, he was already rummaging through the pantry.

"Hey," I smiled. Bruce jumped and hit his head on the shelf above the one he was searching.

"Ow," Bruce mumbled, retreating from the pantry and turning to face me.

"Sorry," I winced, running my fingers gently over his hair, checking for blood. "I think you're going to live, Dr Banner."

"Yeah, I'd hope so," he sighed, breathing deeply and gripping my elbow.

"You're all right, Bruce," I whispered, kissing his cheek. After a few moments he nodded shakily and reached into the cupboard, pulling out the Sherriff mix. As we walked back into the kitchen, I commented wryly, "I hope you know how to make pancakes, because I don't."

"Really?" Bruce asked with one brow raised. His humor was returning, the Other Guy was receding. "You can do everything."

I snickered. "I could torture you until you told me how to make pancakes, but even then the actual practice of cooking may not be a pretty sight."

He laughed again and pulled a flat pan out from under the stove. "Fortunately, I can make pancakes, so I won't have to watch you burn the tower to the ground."

I wasn't offended, but I pretended that I was. "I highly doubt that it would burn to the ground. It probably wouldn't even touch your precious R&D."

"But it would touch your place, and god knows how much all of your stuff would cost to replace."

"Bruce!" I gasped. "Are you calling me high maintenance?"

"No, you need all your stuff." He replied promptly. There was a silence that I thought was comfortable until Bruce asked softly, "You were busy while you were in Israel, right? Did you ever… I mean, did you use your powers of… seduction?"

Um, WHOA. I was stunned. Did Bruce just ask me if I CHEATED on him? I'm pretty sure that was what he was intimating. Was it cheating if it was for my job?

"… Would that upset you?" I asked.

He didn't look at me, not completely. "Would it bother me if the woman I was seeing slept with someone else? Yes, yes I think it does upset me."

"Well, I never… I flirted and used my breasts to the full extent of my ability, but I never… I never had sex with anyone."

"Would you normally have? If you and I weren't…" he 'um'ed and 'haw'ed for a few minutes, until I was about to 'tsk'. "Unresolved?"

Would I?

I'd all but told Bruce I couldn't stop thinking about him while I was in Israel. If I'd been able to get over him, if Natasha and I had done our alcohol and bitching ritual and called it a day, would I have slept with a suspect undercover? It wouldn't be the first time I'd pretended to be a prostitute so I could reap the rewards of pillow talk. But for the six weeks I was home after the Thanos incident, all I'd done was wear low-cut tops and done the 'button game' I'd pulled with John Smith.

I guess that settled it.

"I probably would have. Sometimes I'm ordered to, but mostly it's my call. If I think I'd get more out of a suspect while he was naked, then I can make that decision. But for the six weeks I was at Mossad before I came here, I didn't sleep with anyone else." It was cliché and corny and romantic, but I couldn't help but add, "I missed you."

"I missed you too." He replied quietly. He was mixing pancake batter, but he stopped to kiss me. "Will you keep on… not doing that?"

I smirked. He was so awkward. "I could inform Phil that I won't be taking any jobs like that from now on. So… you want us to be… just us?"

"I believe it is called 'exclusivity'," Bruce informed me.

"Someone's been watching _Sex and the City_," I teased. "And that's what you want?"

"Yes."

"All right." I nodded. He released me and went back to pouring pancake batter into the most perfect circles I'd ever seen. Seriously, Bruce is wonderful, but sometimes I hate him.

We sat around and ate pancakes and talked about Stark Tower. Bruce was clearly thinking about staying for a while—I knew he and Tony were planning some long term projects to do with clean energy and when he started making jokes about him and Reed inventing some pants that would fit the Hulk, I knew he was feeling better about being in the city.

"What about you?" he asked me. "Aren't you starting your training with Coulson soon?"

"Oh yes, my new job as Coulson's lackey." I laughed.

"I believe the word he used was our handler," Bruce chuckled.

"I am excited about it, as long as I don't have to wear the same uniform as Nat or Maria. That wouldn't end well for me."

"Might end well for me," Bruce mumbled slyly. And… did the man just WINK at me?

We cleaned up and put everything back the way we found it. "If the others find out about this, they'll all be up in the middle of the night demanding pancakes." Bruce rolled his eyes fondly.

"And I have no idea how many Thor could eat, but I guarantee it's more than you could make." I smiled as I slid the maple syrup back in the fridge.

"Exactly. This is a private party."

"Ooh, Tony wouldn't like that; he makes it his mission to be at every private party as a point of honour." I laughed. We left the kitchen, and Bruce slid his arm around my waist and kissed my cheek. "I'm going to go back to my room now," I said lamely, kissing him back. Seriously, who am I? I felt like I was in a Judy Blume book. But then again, we'd just met in the middle of the night in our pyjamas to eat pancakes and didn't have sex afterward, so maybe we were.

That is a very sobering thought.

**I finally found a song that I think describes Bruce and Catharine. It's 'Can't Stop' by Mozella. Give it a listen and tell me what you think!**

**PS: I don't mean anything I say about Judy Blume. I've never read one of her books, I was more of a Beverly Cleary kind of child.**


	20. Chapter 20

My first day as an official agent of S.H.I.E.L.D went like this: walked around, followed Phil, kept mouth shut. I was lectured on security protocols and lockdown procedures. At one point I found myself taking notes. NOTES. I have a good memory, and I'm good at what I do. But this was too much. Really, when am I ever going to have to know the security code for if Sue goes invisible and can't turn back? The woman is married to _Reed Richards_. She can solve her own problems.

When I got home, I sat on the arm of the sofa and fell back, my head falling gracefully into Pepper's lap. Pepper's nice, she will console me.

"How was your day?" she asked kindly.

"Sacre bleu," I sighed, knowing that was one thing I could say that she would understand. "Apparently tomorrow I'm going to have a meeting with Fury about my _duties_. I'm not a regular agent, it seems; I have one place I need to be. If it's following Phil around like the kid that follows the elephant at the circus, I'm gonna slap a bitch."

Pepper laughed. "Hey, what are you doing here? Don't you work hours we humans can't fathom?"

"Only regular humans. Humans like Tony and Bruce understand me." Pepper giggled. "Though, thanks to you Bruce is beginning to develop something of a normal sleep pattern."

"That's because I'm really good at tiring him out," I smiled deviously.

"Who are we giggling about?" Tony asked, coming down the stairs from his and Pepper's bedroom dressed head to toe in maroon plaid flannel.

"No one, how was the shareholders' meeting?" Pepper asked.

"You and Bruce," Clint informed him, swinging down from one of the beams across the ceiling.

"Merde! Clint, stop doing that and mind your own business." I gasped. Even looking up at the ceiling, I hadn't seen him.

"Ooh, me and Bruce what? No, never mind, that sounds wrong," Tony shook his head. He flopped down next to Pepper.

"So, how's it goin kid?" he asked. Just as I opened my mouth to answer, my phone rang.

"Krueger." I sighed as I picked up the call. I didn't even bother looking at the caller ID. It could have been Commissioner Gordon for all I know.

"It's Coulson," my new boss said in his intentionally bland voice. "Did you read the fine print on your liaison contract?"

I struggled out of Pepper's lap and headed for my room. "The fine print?"

"The fine print is a lie!" Tony yelled after me. As I turned down the hall, I heard him say to Pepper, "That's why I have you put all mine in twenty point font."

"Yeah, the part where it lists S.H.I.E.L.D's contractual obligations to you and Mossad."

"No, why?"

"It seems that part of their conditions for letting you come to work for us are mandatory check-ins where an officer travels to Mossad to evaluate us."

"And one of these is happening… when?" I asked, slipping into the elevator.

"Next week, they're coming to assure themselves that we are taking advantage of your skills. So you'll have nearly a week to get to know your duties before you have your interview."

"An interview? They're interviewing me?"

"Yes, and me."

"Wonderful," I sighed. "Have they told you who they're sending yet?"

"Yes, an Officer…" I heard some papers shuffling. "Mikhail David. It says he was your training officer?"

My reply caught in my throat. Oh god. "Yes," I croaked.

Training officers and recruits with special ability spend an inordinate amount of time together. When one is male and the other female, it is almost expected that they will end up together, for at least one night. I even knew of a few male-male relationships that had stemmed from training.

It is a lonely life and a painful one. Somewhere between training and missions, an understanding is reached. Mikhail would stitch me back up and put me back together, then he would make me forget about it. He helped me sleep at night. He held me through nightmares and took me out on my birthday. He told me about my parents.

Our relationship was more like the one I'd had with Bruce at the beginning, though not half as long. Mikhail was nearly twenty years older than I, and he'd trained me since I was twelve. He took my virginity at seventeen. When I was sent out in the field the next year, our liaison had long since stopped, leaving a deep camaraderie.

Once I was no longer in need of training, he was assigned a new recruit. Our friendship was preserved, but it was hard meeting his new girl, and knowing how they would end up just like us. We were in love, but it was the painful past love that was looked back on fondly and with a touch of regret. When I was young and naïve, I had thought Mikhail and I could make something of our developing relationship, but he'd set me straight;

_ I love you, yakiri: but I have loved many, and so will you. Do not let the way we are now change the way we must be tomorrow._

"Krueger? Are you there?" Coulson asked.

"Yes, I'm here," I sighed. "I'll meet you tomorrow at Fury's office for our meeting, yes?"

"I'll see you then."

We hung up and I tossed the phone onto the carpet by my bed. I began stripping out of my clothes, not minding where they fell. I flopped into bed.

"Jarvis?" I said sleepily.

"Yes, Miss Krueger?"

"Tell anyone who asks I've gone to bed with a migraine."

"Of course, Miss Krueger."

0oOo0

The next day, I was pacing up and down in front of Fury's office door. Phil walked up and opened the door without knocking. He gestured for me to follow.

We walked into the anteroom where Fury's secretary sat busily typing. "He's ready for you, Agent Coulson."

"Thank you, Denise." He said without looking at her. We walked into the Director's office and I watched him swing around in his chair like a Bond villain.

"Agent Krueger," Fury said. "We've been debating where you would be of best use."

"We?" I asked.

"The Council and myself. We've decided that S.H.I.E.L.D would benefit from someone like you monitoring our interrogations. Of course, you'll be required to report to Agent Coulson and be his second in command when it comes to the Avengers' missions, but between missions you'll be here, behind the one way glass, helping our agents gather intel."

"Yes sir," I nodded. That sounded easy enough. I was in a supervisory sort of position, and I got to help my friends. And Phil wasn't so bad—in fact, I suspected he had what Tony called 'mad skills'. He just didn't show them.

"Excellent. Coulson and Hill will walk you through and show you where you'll report every day. You also have an office next to his."

"Thank you sir."

"Very well. Dismissed."

Coulson took me down to the twenty first floor and showed me his office, then walked me down the hall and showed me mine. It was the usual step up from a cubicle, decorated in shades of grey. He gave me two thin binders of protocols and what the Geneva Convention deemed as 'appropriate' technique while interrogating.

"S.H.I.E.L.D is an international oversight organization, so it is bound by the US government's decisions," he warned me. "However, we fight some threats that have never heard of Geneva, so take everything you read with a grain of salt—remember, no one is checking up on you."

With that little bit of useful information, he left.

I sat down, fighting a _real_ migraine, and turned on the monitor on my desk. I clicked around for a while, and checked my email. There was one from Tony labelled 'Engagement Party'.

_Avengers, Scientists and S.H.I.E.L.D koopas, _

_ Pepper has finally broken down and said we could have a costume party to celebrate us getting married. I've told everyone not to dress as us, because I had a brilliant idea—we should go as EACH OTHER! Isn't that amazing? Now, I call being the Hulk. Everything else is up to you._

_Happy costuming!_

"Dear god," I sighed, reading the email again. My headache worsened as I got a text message from Bruce. What followed was a very quick series of texts that had me turning off my ringer to prevent everyone on the hall hearing it every minute and a half:

**BBanner: I assume you got the email.**

**OfficerCath: Just now. Is this actually happening?**

**BBanner: I emailed Pepper—apparently so. And she has dibs on being Natasha.**

**OfficerCath: Shit, that was my first choice. Who are you going to be?**

**BBanner: I was hoping to get out of it.**

**OfficerCath: Oh no, sir—if I have to go to this thing, then you're going. Maybe I can make it worth **

**your while.**

**BBanner: Oh?**

**OfficerCath: I suppose I could go as Jane… you think lab coats are sexy, right?**

**BBanner: Haha. But don't you have a S.H.I.E.L.D uniform now?**

**OfficerCath: I get one that looks like Maria's. I was kind of hoping to share that one only with you. **

**Consider yourself lucky.**

**BBanner: You know I do. **

**OfficerCath: You could go as Clint—give me something to stare at.**

**BBanner: I don't think I'd fit into the suit.**

**OfficerCath: I'll steal you one from Agent storage.**

**BBanner: Your first day and you're already willing to steal from work? For shame.**

**OfficerCath: Don't type at me in that tone of voice.**

**BBanner: Shit, I have to go—Tony's clearly trying to kill me to get my attention. See you tonight**

**OfficerCath: See you.**

0oOo0

"Aren't you excited?" Darcy squealed at us that night at dinner. "Thor, you're going to let me dress you up, right?"

"I will gladly, Lady Darcy." Thor replied with a grin. "Who were you thinking?" Darcy leaned over and whispered something in his ear. "Excellent suggestion! I will leave it in your capable hands."

"Well, I'm going to go as Jane." I announced.

"Me?" Jane asked in surprise.

"Yeah. There aren't enough girls, and Pepper called Black Widow. So I'm going to be Jane. And Bruce is going to be Clint."

"I never said that," Bruce piped up from the other side of the sofa.

"No, but it was my suggestion."

"You should TOTALLY go as me!" Clint cried. "Girls love the Hawk."

Natasha just rolled her eyes.

"Steve should be Iron Man," Darcy suggested.

"What?" Steve asked, brows raised. "No."

"He's not cool enough to go as me." Tony agreed.

"You know what? Just for that, I think I will go as Iron Man, thank you Darcy," Steve said. Darcy saluted in response and he grinned.

"Tasha, will you go as me?" Darcy asked.

"No." Natasha replied flatly.

"I think that's a fantastic idea." Tony said. "We'll wear her down."

The two of them fist bumped and I sighed. I simply cannot see this ending well.

**A/U: So, remember how I said 2 Point 0 would be 20 chapters long? I lied. Probably closer to 25 now. I thought bringing Betty Ross into it would be too mainstream, so I brought one of Catharine's exes into it instead. AND I can't wait for this Engagement Party chapter. I dunno where this idea came from, but I LOVE IT.**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: I'M BACK! Like the Genie in 'Return of Jafar'! I've been doing 2 plays and classes the past few weeks, and my muse left me. But it's back now, have no fear!**

**Thanks for all your lovely reviews. I took Tony and Catharine's conversation from a post I saw on tumblr.**

"Hey," I sighed as I walked into the lab that night. It was after nine, and generally I make sure Bruce will eventually eat and get some sleep, whether it was with me or not. And if he wasn't going to eat and he wasn't going to get me naked, then he could work his damn self to death.

At least that's what I let him believe.

Usually I go to bed and tell JARVIS to remind him to go to sleep at midnight. If he's still working by two, I have him cut power to the lab.

"Oh, hey." Bruce replied. He didn't look up from his monitor.

"I need to talk to you about something."

"Okay." He typed a few words and looked up at me. "What's wrong?" I sighed, and he blanched. "Is this about us?"

"No." I replied. "Well, it involves you and me, but it's not about you and me."

"Okay…" I could see him shutting down on me.

"I'm not leaving." I snapped at him. "It's about my evaluation at the end of the week."

"Oh…" he leaned against the table. "Okay."

"They're sending Mikhail David. My former training officer."

"And that's… bad." Bruce removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"No. Not necessarily. Except that Mikhail hasn't left Israel in over a decade."

"Okay, you're confusing me."

"Ugh…" I squeezed my eyes shut and bit the bullet. "We used to sleep together. Mikhail and I were like you and I, only he… he was my first."

"O-Oh. Well, that's… interesting. And he's coming to evaluate you and S.H.I.E.L.D?"

"Yes."

"And if he gives you a bad eval he can take you back to Mossad?"

"Yes. I… he's coming here for a reason, and I doubt it's because he was ordered. I think he volunteered. And I don't think it's because he wants to prove S.H.I.E.L.D is utilising me effectively."

"You think he's here to see you?" Bruce crossed his arms.

"Maybe. I think… he doesn't know about you, and he and I haven't… in a while. But when we were, I told him I loved him. We broke it off, and he moved on to his next trainee. I don't know why he's coming, but I can guess what he's going to say when he gets here."

"Okay."

"That's it? Just okay?" I asked in shock. "Are you… are we going to be okay?"

"Yeah. We're fine." He turned back to his computer. "I'm sorry, I'm having a hard time pulling my head out of this data. Can we talk about Mikhail later?"

"…Certainly." I nodded. When he didn't say anything else, I turned and left.

0oOo0

**BRUCE POV**

"So I heard Catharine's boy toy is coming to see her." Tony commented the next day. I sighed and scratched my fingers through my hair. After Catharine's little announcement I hadn't been able to sleep, so I pulled an all-nighter. Needless to say, I wasn't in the mood for Tony's particular brand of humour.

"He's not her boy toy, he's her ex-lover." I didn't like saying that. And I didn't like thinking about it. Or them. Together.

"And the man who made her who she is."

"How did you even know about this?" I snapped.

"I spied on your lab." He shot back, completely nonplussed. "And I heard everything. So, tell me what you really think."

I didn't want to tell him. He wouldn't handle it sensitively, and he wouldn't give me any advice I could actually follow without looking like an asshole. But he was my best friend. And he was asking for my opinion.

"She told him she loves him. And they were sleeping together."

"And you're wondering why she's sleeping with you and not saying the same."

"Well, I'm wondering why she's not saying the same things if it's the same situation."

"Are you worried that he's better in bed than you?" Tony asked, a wily gleam in his eye.

"Screw off." I grumbled.

"Relax Bruce, you've got a green rage monster inside of you. Don't you think that gives you an edge as far as passion is concerned?"

"No, not really." I rolled my eyes.

"So, you're worried. I can get that. So do something before he gets here."

"Like what?"

"Ask her out."

"What?"

"Ask her out."

"I'm already sleeping with her."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Um, YEAH, but have you actually taken the girl out on a date?"

"That isn't our relationship."

"No, that WASN'T your relationship. But now she lives one floor up and you are going to see her every day for the foreseeable future. I know you Bruce, and I know this sex friend thing would only work in the short term. Because you're a long term kind of guy. You can't use a woman for sex. You're too nice."

"_I'm_ too nice?"

"That's what I'm saying."

0oOo0

**CATHARINE POV**

"How's your tummy?"

I looked up as Tony waltzed into my room without knocking. I was painting my toenails on the window sill.

"Could you not knock? How did you know I wasn't naked?"

"Asked JARVIS," He flopped onto my bed and leaned back on his elbows. "Now, how's your tummy?"

"…Fine."

"Well, your ex is coming to visit and make sure you and the koopa troops are doing everything right, I would imagine you might be having tummy trouble."

"I'm fine Tony, but thank you for your concern." I rolled my eyes and turned back to painting my nails black.

"Are you okay?" he asked more seriously.

I tried to hold out, but Tony was a good friend, even if he tried very hard to make us forget it. I sighed. "I'm afraid everything won't go back to the way it was before."

"No, you're afraid that everything _will_ go back to the way it was before." Tony shot back gently. "You and Bruce are turning into a thing, and you're afraid that Mikhail will ruin whatever capital you've built with him."

"…Maybe."

0oOo0

"Do you want to go out with me?" Bruce asked me the next day, striding into my Stark Tower office (I supposedly needed one in both buildings). I looked up and furrowed my brow at him pacing across in front of my desk.

"Um… what?"

"A date. With me."

"I heard you. Isn't that already what we're doing?"

"Apparently not." Bruce threw himself onto the sofa.

"Who have you been talking to?" I asked, suspecting the answer.

"Tony." He admitted.

"Tony. You give the man one fiancée and he thinks he knows everything there is to know about love." My stomach dropped since I'd mentioned the 'L-word', but thankfully Bruce didn't comment. "So, a real date? Where I get dressed up and we eat food?"

Bruce gave me a ghost of a smile. "Yeah, something like that. I was thinking maybe we could just… go for a walk. It's been a long time since I was in New York."

"I… yeah, okay." I shook my head to clear the light headedness. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Good. So, maybe next weekend?"

"Okay."

"Okay. I'm sorry, you must be busy."

"Not really." I smiled, getting up and leaning against the edge of the desk. "Did you sleep last night?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

His ears flushed in that adorable way that made me want to tease him. "No. Our conversation about your training officer kind of riled me."

"You don't say. Bruce, don't be worried. Mikhail was my mentor, my friend. He made me into who I am. And I gave myself to him. I was a little girl, barely seventeen, and I mistakenly thought I was in love. It happens. We both moved on—it's Mossad's way. A lot of the time we lose it to our training officers."

"Why are you telling me this?" Bruce asked. He'd paled as I was talking, and he wouldn't meet my eyes.

"I'm trying to console you. I'm different now. And I'd rather resign from Mossad all together than abandon you and the Avengers." I smiled, and he smiled back, wider.

"I'm glad." He confessed, coming to stand in front of me. He leaned over and tucked my hair behind my ear. He pressed his lips to mine, kissed me slowly, wrapped one arm around my waist.

"My office hasn't been properly christened," I smiled against his mouth, opening my legs so he could step between them.

"I was hoping to have that honour," he replied. Bruce pushed my tight pencil skirt up my legs so he could reach my underwear. I squirmed to accommodate him as best I could—I was busily running my hands under his shirt front and dragging my nails back down.

"Oh, who else would I ask?"

We kissed some more, more urgently, and then everything changed; making out wasn't a means to an end, but the main event. Bruce pulled me from the desk and back onto the sofa, where we sat, our thighs pressed together and arms around each other. It was slow and it was lovely, and my heart was beating painfully fast.

"Are you okay?" Bruce whispered as he kissed my neck. "Your pulse is racing."

"Yeah, I'm fine." I stammered. I really was: I was scared, obviously, but I really thought I would be okay.

0oOo0

Mikhail arrived early on Friday morning. I was waiting at the gate with Coulson and Natasha; Phil was responsible for our guest while he was here, and Natasha had volunteered to go as backup. I was glad—she was possibly scarier than the Hulk.

He looked much the same as the last time I saw him, which was roughly ten months ago—he'd shacked up with his newest recruit, who was mastering the Asian fighting styles. They practically cut themselves off from the rest of the base.

"Catharine," he smiled as he approached, his lyrical accent making me feel at home. "It has been too long."

"Shalom Mikhail," I replied guardedly, accepting his embrace. "This is Agent Coulson, my superior at S.H.I.E.L.D, and this is Agent Romanoff, one of my colleagues."

"A pleasure. I bring S.H.I.E.L.D greetings from the Director of Mossad."

"Thank you. Shall we retrieve your things?" Coulson gestured for us to go first, and we preceded him to baggage claim.

Tony had offered Mikhail a place in Stark Tower. I suspected he'd only done so to spy on him, myself and Bruce and our past-present-future love triangle. When I mentioned the possibility of staying in the same building as the Avengers, Mikhail jumped at the chance. I fired Tony a text telling him to hide everything that even hinted at requiring a security clearance, and to have JARVIS secure all the labs. I loved Mikhail, really I did, but that didn't mean I trusted him implicitly. I'd been in Mossad too long to believe he'd just sit around the Tower and play nice. He'd be looking for intel.

There was an awkward housewarming when we got to the Tower; Steve had everyone arranged in the main living area to introduce themselves. The Captain himself stood at full attention, Thor and Jane holding hands next to him. Clint was piggy backing Darcy toward us, and Tony was covered in motor oil. Pepper clipped down the hallway toward us, her CEO smile firmly in place.

"You must be Officer David," she extended her hand. "I'm Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries."

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Potts." Mikhail said, kissing her hand.

"Once you meet the team, I'll have Catharine show you your room. If you need anything, ask JARVIS for assistance."

"JARVIS?"

"Tony's butler is Artificial Intelligence. Technically he is everywhere. Just look at the ceiling." I informed him. I looked around to find Bruce missing. I looked at Jane with brows raised. I could tell I had my 'dangerous' eyes because even Thor began to shuffle awkwardly. "Where's Bruce?" I asked.

"He said he was on his way. He was in the middle of writing something on his board when I came down to drag Tony and Jane out of the lab," Darcy said, wobbling slightly as Clint lowered her to her feet.

I heard slapping footsteps and Bruce appeared around the corner, trying to fix his rumpled shirt. He looked up, saw us all looking at him, and flushed.

"What an entrance," Tony winked, clapping enthusiastically.

"Shut up, Tony," Bruce and I said in unison. Wonderful, now _I_ was blushing.

"Awe, couples do start to think alike." He shot back.

Mikhail whipped his head back and forth between Bruce and I, his eyes wide. "Couples?"

"Mikhail David, this is Dr Bruce Banner." I introduced them, stepping back closer to Bruce.

"Dr Banner."

The two men shook hands. "Officer David, I've heard a lot about you."

"And I about you, Doctor Banner." I was tempted to take a step between them. Obviously my mentor had only heard about Bruce's larger, greener alter ego. To be fair, no secret government agency was briefed about a mild mannered nuclear physicist.

"Well, I imagine you're exhausted from your flight, Officer," Pepper said, filling the tense silence that had fallen. "Let us show you to your room." She smoothly slid her hand onto my arm above the elbow and steered the two of us off into the elevator again.

Mikhail was set up across the hall from me, so he could have someone he knew to come and get if he needed anything. I wasn't terribly pleased with this idea, but I understood the sense in not letting him wander the halls in a towel because his shower wasn't working, et cetera. After all, I'd already seen him naked.

Tony was going to pay when Mikhail had gone.

I showed him his suite and introduced him to JARVIS. Another tense silence fell before Mikhail looked over at me and sighed.

"I do not suppose you are ignorant of Dr Banner's true identity."

"You suppose correctly. And the man you just met _is_ his true identity. He didn't grow up as the Hulk."

"Harah, Catharine; Do you know what this man could do to you? You are strong, my dear, but you are not that strong."

"You know I can handle him. It took a lot of energy, but I managed to Hulk out once."

"And will that protect you, or merely rouse the savage beast?"

"Nim'as li! You are no longer responsible for me, Mikhail! I can make my own choices."

He sighed and ran one hand over his tanned face. "Very well, medyle. I am tired from my trip; I think I'll lie down for a while."

"Of course. I'll come get you in a few hours for lunch. JARVIS will wake you if you give him a time."

"Thank you. And… I'm glad you are happy."

I left, managing to hold my temper and not slam the door on my way out. Bruce was waiting for me, leaning up against the wall outside the door.

"He doesn't like me." He observed.

"He doesn't like the Other Guy. He doesn't even know you."

"Still, he doesn't like the thought of you and me." He said as we walked together down the hall.

"No, but I'm afraid any member of a government agency would be weary. We were all read in on the Hulk, not you. You are far less scary and far less green in person."

He chuckled. "Glad to hear it. I got Tony to lock up R&D tighter than a drum; JARVIS knows not to allow anyone but us down there."

"Good. I love the man, really I do, but he's not here to simply observe me in my new job. It just wouldn't be Mossad procedure if he didn't attempt to gain some leverage on us."

"I suppose our date will have to wait until he's gone."

… Quick subject change, Banner.

"Not necessarily," I shrugged. "I don't care if you don't. Name the day, Dr Banner."

He smiled shyly at the ground. "I'll do that."

"Good. Now I know your white board is calling you—be back for dinner, I'll need you as a buffer."

**Israeli Terms (from youswear and Yahoo):**

**Harah: Shit**

**Nim'as li!: I've had enough!**

**Medyle: Young maiden, [In Yiddish]—usually used chauvinistically, but I used it because Mikhail is just old fashioned.**


End file.
